Boks up the ante in preparation for Italy showdown

Things got a little feisty at Springbok training on Tuesday.

The players were put through their paces a short bus ride from their hotel at the Valsugana Rugby Club‚ and they went at it with a little more grunt yesterday.

It showed‚ with tighthead Wilco Louw sporting a bleeding nose from the first scrum and Francois Louw emerging from training limping‚ favouring a knee.

"It got a bit feisty today‚" said assistant coach Matt Proudfoot while looking at Louw who was seated next to him.

The Boks have upped the ante in their intensity in preparing for Saturday's Test against Italy.

They don't want a repeat of what happened in Florence last year when the Italians met their physical challenge head on in the primary phases.

"They had a specific plan with the maul. (Sergio) Parisse gets under your skin and he gets to your jumper‚" Proudfoot said.

He stressed‚ however‚ that every week it is about "meeting the physical challenge of the opposition."

To that end the team will at least be physically primed.

With live scrumming the order of the day at practice‚ Proudfoot recalled an interaction with Louw.

"He said 'coach you were a bit hard on me'. I said 'the day I stop‚ worry'‚" said Proudfoot.

With as many as nine players sitting out training on Monday‚ order was more or less restored on Tuesday.

With so much ' live' and lively activity it presented fringe players with the opportunity to display their wares.

There may not be too many places up for grabs this weekend but the last Test of the tour against Wales falls outside the Test window and changes are inevitable.