Japan 3-26 South Africa rugby LIVE RESULT: Springboks leave Brave Blossoms in tears with 21 second half points
JAPAN’S World Cup was ended by a dominant, suffocating performance from South Africa.
The Springboks go on to face Wales in next Sunday’s semi-final and they can expect and epic arm wrestle with Warren Gatland’s men, who beat France in the other quarter-final.
Makazole Mapimpi’s two tries and man of the match Faf de Klerk’s score helped the Springboks stun the Brave Blossoms.
Only Yu Tamura’s first-half penalty could give the hosts a chance, but the half-time score of 5-3 to the men in green did not reflect how dominant South Africa had been.
Rassie Erasmus’ men were too fast to let Japan just arrow the ball around like Scotland did, and their line-speed too direct without the ball.
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The Japanese had lots of the ball, but so much of it was in their own half, indeed their own 22.
South Africa were happy to scrum, happy for line-outs, happy for any situation where Yu Tamura, Kotaro Matsushima and Kenki Fukuoka were as far away from their try line as possible.
READ HOW IT ALL UNFOLDED…