South Africa moved to the top of Pool B at the World Cup with a resounding 49-3 bonus point win over Italy in Shizuoka.
The Springboks ran in seven tries, but five of those came following the sending off of Italian prop Andrea Lovotti for his part in a tip-tackle on Duane Vermuelen.
Nicola Quaglio was also involved in the incident and Italy head coach Conor O'Shea initially thought he was going to see two players shown the line, "Yep, potentially - when I saw it that's what I radioed down, it could potentially be."
55: South Africa 25-3 Italy.
"Blue 1 is the worst offender of those two"
ICYMI: Here is the incident that saw Italian prop Andrea Lovotti sent off 'for dropping a player on his head' against South Africa.
LIVE now on eir sport 1! #RWC2019 #RSAvITA pic.twitter.com/uAcClZyOzW— eir Sport (@eirSport) October 4, 2019
When Lovotti was sent off early in the second half the Boks were leading 17-3, but any plans O'Shea had to shock one of the tournament favourites were thrown into disarray, "One was just a stupid act. We were quite calm at half time, and we knew the power that was going to come - it was 17-3. We just said, in some way, just don't chase the game.
"If we can get a score we just might ask a question, which is what you want.
"Everything had to go perfectly for us - we knew that, we're not stupid.
"We've done so much over the last while, and we came into this match - when I say 'full of confidence' , confidence in what we could do and feel that we've really come on as a rugby team.
"You plan for a lot of things, you don't plan for that. Lovo (Andrea Lovotti) is probably more destroyed by us, but we're all pretty destroyed."
Italy are still 2nd in Pool B, and notionally in with a chance of making the quarter-finals. However, they still have to play the All Blacks in Toyota on Saturday week and the defending champions also have a game in hand to come against Namibia on Sunday.
O'Shea knows they blew their chance to keep things alive today against the Springboks, "They're an outstanding side. This wasn't them coming to play Italy in a friendly in the autumn. This was them coming with us standing in their way.
"I'm just destroyed at the moment - all the planning all the work, and we didn't get a chance to show our true worth in that second half."
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