The current world champions have enjoyed a dominant time against the Italians since their first meeting in 1995.
The Springboks get their Test year under way with the first of two Tests against Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, with kick-off at 5.10pm.
Rassie Erasmus’ team are the big favourites to win the match, having dominated against the Italians over the years.
Here are some of the key statistics, facts and figures you might not know about the teams and clashes between them.
History
The Boks and Italy have met 16 times, with the South Africans enjoying a 15-1 record against the Italians.
The first meeting between the teams took place on 12 November 1995 in Rome, when the Boks, then also newly crowned world champions, won 40-21.
The Boks have scored 764 points in total in these 16 meetings, while Italy have scored 195. The Boks have scored 102 tries to Italy’s 16.
The biggest winning score is 101-0 to the Boks, recorded in Durban in June 1999.
Italy’s only triumph
The Italians have beaten the current world champions only once, in Florence on 19 November 2016. On that day Italy won 20-18 to shock the rugby world. The Boks’ tries were scored by Bryan Habana, in his 124th Test, and Damian de Allende, with Pat Lambie kicking a conversion and a penalty, while Elton Jantjies also slotted a penalty.
Coach Allister Coetzee’s Bok team on the day included Willie le Roux at fullback, Damian de Allende at inside centre, Rudy Paige at scrumhalf, Warren Whiteley at eighthman, Lood de Jager at No 5 lock, Pieter-Steph du Toit at number 4 lock, Vincent Koch at tighthead and Adriaan Strauss at hooker, and the captain.
Matches in South Africa
The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record overall (32 wins from 41 Tests).
In those seven matches the Boks have registered a number of big wins.
Besides the 101-0 in Durban in 1999, the Boks won 74-3 in Port Elizabeth, the week before the Durban massacre in 1999, 60-14 in Port Elizabeth in 2001, 26-0 in Cape Town in 2008, 29-13 in Witbank in 2010, 55-11 in East London in 2010, and 44-10 in Durban in 2013.
Milestones
The Boks will have 732 Test caps in total in the starting team on Saturday, with a further 466 on the bench.
Vincent Tshituka, of the Sharks and formerly the Lions, will make his debut in the No 7 jersey.
Fullback Damian Willemse will play his first Test since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris, after sitting out all of last season with an injury. His back-up on the bench, Willie le Roux, should he enter the action, will earn his 99th Test cap.
Jesse Kriel will become the Boks’ 67th Test captain, while Eben Etzebeth will extend his record number of Test caps to 132 on Saturday..