South African-Born Vintcent Relishing Springboks Test for Italy
The Italy number eight, born in Johannesburg, says facing South Africa in Turin is a special match for him and his family.
South Africa – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Vintcent relishing the chance to face South Africa is no surprise. The Italy number eight was born in Johannesburg and grew up on Springbok rugby. On Saturday, he will pull on the Italy jersey against his home nation.
Italy host South Africa in Turin in the Nations Championship. Vintcent has played the Springboks three times already. Yet the fixture has not lost any of its charm for him.
“The one match any South African-born Italian could wish for is against the Springboks, the best team in the world, in Italy,” he said. “It’s always a special fixture.”
He still remembers his first game against them. He hummed the South African anthem because it is such a catchy tune. Some of his family even painted the Italy flag on one cheek and the South African flag on the other.
This week brought a fun twist. Many thought Riley Norton, his second cousin, might join the Springbok squad. The family chat was buzzing with hope that the two would meet on the pitch. Norton was not picked, but the family loves watching both teams.
Italy have beaten South Africa only once in 19 meetings, back in 2016. Vintcent has not yet tasted a win against them. He also hurt his shoulder in their last Turin meeting a year ago. That injury kept him out of this year’s Six Nations.
He is now fully fit, but Italy have a long injury list. Several key players are missing. Vintcent knows they will be underdogs. He believes that only adds hunger to the squad.
“When we’re all guns firing, we’re a threat to any team,” he said. He added that consistency separates good teams from great ones.
His journey is a special one. He moved from Johannesburg to Dubai as a child. In his teens, he returned to South Africa for boarding school. At 18, he thought his future might be away from rugby. Then Italy invited him to join their academy.
He qualifies for Italy through his maternal grandfather. He says each match is a way to give back. Italy took him in during COVID, when little was happening. He wants to make his family and his younger self proud every time he wears the jersey.
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