Over the weekend, the Springboks proved exactly why they are the top-ranked team in the world, grinding out a 32-17 victory against France in Paris. This came despite playing the majority of the Test at Stade de France with just 14 men on the field.

The Azzurri will certainly be a challenge for the Springboks in Turin this week, but the Boks will back themselves while remaining wary of their Six Nations opponents. Italy, however, caused an upset over the weekend by beating the much-fancied Wallabies 26-19 at Stadio Friuli in Udine.

André Esterhuizen - Morgan Piek

The Boks’ strength, once again, was in their bench, as replacements made a decisive impact—especially André Esterhuizen, who featured in the “bomb squad” covering two roles. Initially on the bench as flank cover, he also stepped into the outside centre position against France following Lood de Jager’s red card in the 38th minute.

Esterhuizen said the impact of the bench highlighted that winning a Test is always a 23-man effort.

“I think when all the cards were down, when we got the red card, the boys made good plans,” said Esterhuizen, who scored the Springboks’ second try from a maul.

“We spoke at half-time, we said whatever we want to do, we want to stay on top of them, we want to dominate them physically. And yeah, we made plans around line-outs, scrums, etc., to be able to do that. I think the boys really pulled together, stuck together, and executed the plan perfectly.”

Earlier this year, the Boks beat Italy 42-24 in Pretoria, then thumped them 45-0 a week later in Gqeberha. Esterhuizen warned against resting on past results and stressed the importance of hitting the reset button this week.

“I think Italy is a very unpredictable team; it’s always a tough game against them,” said the Sharks player.

“We played them earlier this year, so we have good knowledge of them. But this weekend, they beat Australia, so it’s going to be another tough Test. We’ve got five big Tests on this tour, with two down. We have to go back to the drawing board on Monday and prepare for another big Test in Italy.”

The Springboks have the lead in Paris ??

André Esterhuizen the man to dot down for South Africa ?? pic.twitter.com/ZxCWh4oSBz

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) November 8, 2025

Speaking about his new role as a hybrid player, Esterhuizen emphasised the need to always be ready to adapt, citing the win over Les Bleus as a perfect example of how quickly situations can change in a Test.

“We spoke about it quite a bit before the game, especially today as plans changed a bit,” Esterhuizen added.

“Normally, before a game, we know more or less whether I’m covering loose forward or centre, but whatever happens in the game, it can always change. The good thing is we prepare for both situations.”

Saturday’s Test between Italy and the Springboks at the iconic San Siro in Turin is scheduled to kick off at 14:40.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport