Springboks Triumph Over Italy Despite Outrageous Early Red Card
Sports Desk
– November 16, 2025
3 min read
South Africa turned a testing night in Turin into a composed 32 to 14 victory, surviving the loss of Franco Mostert to a red card after twelve minutes and gradually taking control of a match that initially tilted toward Italy. The early dismissal forced immediate changes to the Springbok pack and invited sustained pressure from the hosts, yet the visitors showed patience and accuracy as the contest unfolded.
Paolo Garbisi landing an early penalty to answer Handre Pollard’s opener. The home side targeted the breakdown and scrum, using the extra number to trap the Springboks inside their own half for long stretches. South Africa absorbed repeated drives until the final moments of the first half when Marco van Staden powered over from close range to give the visitors a 10 to 3 lead. The try altered the momentum and offered a platform for greater control.
Italy struck first after the break through another Garbisi penalty that narrowed the gap to a single point. South Africa then began to dictate territory and tempo, settling into a rhythm built on smarter exits and more accurate kicking. Morne van den Berg sniped over from a sharp attacking sequence, Grant Williams finished from broken play, and Ethan Hooker added the final try that sealed the bonus point. Italy’s lone try came from Ange Capuozzo, but the hosts were unable to sustain pressure once the Springboks tightened their defensive spacing and disrupted Italian flow.
The Common Sense sports desk has reviewed the sending off of Mostert. This was justified as shoulder on head contact. The video footage shows no evidence of this. Instead the contact was shoulder on chest. The sending off was therefore totally unjustified.
Post match reaction reflected the frustration at this outrageous decision. Siya Kolisi said: “we make plans in the game as we go along because such things happen” and explained that seeing Mostert leave early pushed the group to work harder for each other. Rassie Erasmus said: “I always thought we wanted to get to 20-minute red cards, and we have to re-check on that, but it’s not my place to talk about it."
