FOR the first time in several seasons, the Springbok backline looked rapier sharp during their 44-10 win over Italy on Saturday.

Fullback Willie le Roux and outside centre JJ Engelbrecht injected searing pace into the setup, which gave the team more penetration behind a good forward effort.

In 2012, coach Heyneke Meyer's first year in charge, he worked on laying a foundation of solid set piece, strong defence and forward domination.

There were signs that with a little more time the Boks will bring their attacking prowess up to the same standard of their defensive and forward strength.

Central to their improvement, which saw the Boks score five tries - four from the backs - against a very organised Italian team, was fullback Le Roux's ability to join the line at pace and create space for others.

"JJ and Willie took their chances well and suddenly there is a lot of pace in the backline," Meyer said. "Because we were playing at home we wanted to up the tempo of our game and aimed to keep the ball alive.

"We did make some mistakes and lost the ball a few times when we were close to their try-line in the first half, but the opposition deserves some credit. They are a difficult side to play against because they rush up in midfield, so I'm very happy that we scored so many good tries."

In addition to the impact of Le Roux and Engelbrecht, veteran wing Bryan Habana and captain and centre Jean de Villiers proved that they still have the hunger and pace to compete at the highest level.

Whether Le Roux retains his place for the Rugby Championship later this year is debatable with the coach hinting that away from home, the Boks might take a more conservative approach. That suggests the likes of Engelbrecht, and Le Roux could give way for players such as Frans Steyn and Zane Kirchner.