Several Springbok players made their way to nearby Venice on their day off on Wednesday and it would not have been lost on them that the city is struggling against sinking into the sea.It is a feeling with which they are familiar. Their coach, Allister Coetzee, has been trying to keep his head above water for much of the past year and it is not difficult to see why he believes his buoyancy is inextricably linked to the assembly of his best available team.The prevailing tide dictates that he pushes his best resources into battle against Italy on Saturday but he has been forced into two significant amendments. Hooker Malcolm Marx, who has started every Test in 2017, injured his shoulder against France last weekend and does not feature in the match 23 as Bongi Mbonambi makes a maiden start.On the side of the scrum, Pieter-Steph du Toit’s return had been widely expected and he will fill the void left by Siya Kolisi, who has travelled home on paternity leave.Marx’s absence is a huge setb...
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