The Test in Pretoria is the first of two in the Castle Lager Incoming Series against the Azzurri, and the experienced international duo said the Boks had to be on their game for the full 80 minutes to kick off their campaign on a positive note.
Italy may be ranked 10th in the world, but both players said it would be a mistake writing them off.
“The Italian pack proved what they can do in the Six Nations, and they are a team that believes in their systems and plays with a lot of passion,” said Mbonambi.
“They also have a coach in Gonzalo Quesada who drives that passion. They may have a smaller group of players to choose from compared to South Africa with so few clubs, but they are hard-working players, and we are expecting a tough day at the office.”
Many have predicted a big win for the Springboks, but Mbonambi said it would be a massive game for both teams.
“When you represent your country, you always have something to lose, and that applies to both us and them,” said Mbonambi.
“We are expecting a massive battle from them, and we know they are going to come hard at us up front for 80 minutes, so we cannot afford to get comfortable at any stage of the match because they have the potential to cause damage.
“Some may be underestimating them, but as a team, we have a lot to lose if we let ourselves down on the field.”
Handre Pollard at Bok training earlier on Wednesday.
Pollard, who has returned to South Africa after stints playing club rugby in France and England from 2019, spoke equally highly of Italy.
“This is a good Italian team, and we are certainly not underestimating them, especially with the passion and physicality they play with,” said the Bok flyhalf.
“They also have a lot of threats, and they are a side that are clearly evolving if one looks at their results in the last few years against some of the top teams, so it will be important to stop them and to front up physically.
“Over and above that, we have set high standards for ourselves, and we want to implement that at Test level.”
With Pollard going up against Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok for the No 10 jersey, he said the competition in the squad motivated them immensely to give their best on the field at training.
“We are blessed with so much talent in the country, and as teammates, we try to push each other and learn from one another because it’s important for us to evolve together and essentially become better,” he said.
With Pollard now officially back at the Vodacom Bulls, he was excited to take the field at Loftus Versfeld and to be back in South Africa after several seasons at the Leicester Tigers.
“It’s great being back in South Africa and back with the guys in camp, and I’m really looking forward to my time here,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to playing at Loftus Versfeld. I have good memories of playing there, and although this is a new season, we are excited to run out in front of our passionate home crowd again.”
The match kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. Tickets for the Test are available from Ticketmaster.
