Morne van den Berg has warned that the Springboks cannot afford complacency after their nine-try thrashing of Italy, insisting there remains significant room for improvement ahead of Friday's Nations Championship encounter with France in Paris.

The scrumhalf, who claimed the player-of-the-match award in the 66-7 victory at Stadio Camilo Cano, scored one of the Boks' tries but was quick to temper celebrations with a measured assessment of the performance. Despite building an imposing 45-0 half-time lead, the world champions were less convincing after the interval, a period in which Italy applied sustained pressure and even drove the Bok scrum backwards into their own 22 to win a penalty.

"There's a lot to improve on in our game, which is actually quite exciting," Van den Berg said. "We'll study the video and see exactly where we can improve, but credit to Italy for putting us under pressure in the second half. They are an incredible team and nation, and we expected that, but that's perhaps where we could have been better."

Second-half slump a concern

While the opening 40 minutes showcased the clinical edge that has defined this Springbok era — faultless decision-making, brutal physicality and precise execution — the second period offered a reminder that even dominant sides can lose their edge. Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada acknowledged his side had been bullied by the Boks' power game, with South Africa racking up 129 post-contact metres compared to Italy's 59 and forcing the Azzurri into 147 tackles. Yet the scrum, typically a Bok stronghold, was less dominant than expected, a detail unlikely to escape Rassie Erasmus's video review.

Van den Berg emphasised the importance of securing the result as the Springboks chase momentum in the inaugural Nations Championship. "It was especially important to get our game and the things we worked on during the week right," he said. "Obviously it was important for us to get momentum going into next week's game, so the result was very important."

The Springboks travelled from Turin to their French base on Saturday evening, allowing immediate preparation for the 22h10 kick-off in Paris. A clash with Ireland in Dublin follows on 21 November before the competition concludes with Finals Weekend in London on 27–29 November. France, who retained top spot in the Northern Conference with a 54-17 victory over Fiji, will present a far sterner examination than Italy managed, particularly if the Boks' second-half lapse proves symptomatic rather than isolated.