South Africa produced a hugely physical performance to qualify for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals following an impressive 26-3 triumph over hosts Japan.
It was a thrilling first half and the opening quarter set the tone as Springbok wing Makazole Mapimpi touched down before the Brave Blossoms hit back via the accurate kicking of Yu Tamura.
The match continued at a frenetic pace but both defences held out until early in the second period when Handre Pollard added two penalties.
Pollard then scored a third off the tee before Faf de Klerk crossed the whitewash for the game-decisive try as they ended Japan's remarkable tournament.
Mapimpi then went over for his second as Rassie Erasmus' men completed a fine performance and eased their way into the last-four.
It is one thing dealing with the forward strength of Ireland and Scotland but another the sheer power of the Springboks and Erasmus' charges were simply too strong in the tight exchanges.
The scrum, which has been a strength over the past year, laid a stable platform early on and De Klerk gave Mapimpi a one-on-one opportunity. With just Tamura to beat, the wing charged through the fly-half's abysmal attempt at a tackle and touched down for a 5-0 advantage.
TRY!
A dominant South African scrum sees the ball fed out wide to Mapimpi who beats the Japanese defence with some fancy footwork to finish#RWC2019 #ITVRugby #JPNvRSA pic.twitter.com/DReQP8rKqh
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 20, 2019
South Africa were unsurprisingly physical in contact but Tendai Mtawarira was perhaps too pumped up and was subsequently sin-binned for a tip-tackle on Keita Inagaki. The prop's absence gave the Japanese an opportunity to weave their magic and Kenki Fukuoka brilliantly stood up Cheslin Kolbe, running deep into opposition territory.
Although that move eventually broke down, they were rewarded for their endeavour by Tamura, who reduced the arrears from the tee.
Following that score, Japan continued to move the ball and stress the Springbok rearguard but their defence remained stout, giving them them a two-point lead heading into the latter stages of the half.
The South Africans were under pressure but they began to reassert their authority. Erasmus' men were dominant at the set-piece and, although Damian de Allende was denied a try at the end of the first period, they kept their foot on the Japanese throat.
Their scrum was giving them plenty of purchase and successive three-pointers from Pollard opened the gap beyond a converted try.
Surprisingly, the pivot was off-target with a third attempt, but he did not make the same mistake as the game reached the final quarter.
South Africa were in control and they started to bully their opponents. The maul was hugely impressive and, after a drive had gone 30 metres, Malcolm Marx pealed off the back and fed De Klerk to break Japanese hearts.
Japan had run out of ideas and, following yet another turnover, Willie le Roux found flyer Mapimpi, who sped down the left and touched down as the Springboks deservedly qualified for the semi-finals.
The scorers:
For Japan:
Pen: Tamura
For South Africa:
Tries: Mapimpi 2, De Klerk
Con: Pollard
Pens: Pollard 3
Yellow Card: Mtawarira
Japan: 15 Ryohei Yamanaka, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Michael Leitch (c), 5 James Moore, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Jiwon Koo, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements: 16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Isileli Nakajima, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Wimpie van der Walt, 20 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Lomano Lava Lemeki
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Luke Pearce (England)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)
In a drama-filled match, Les Bleus held the upper hand for the majority of the game despite playing with 14 men for most of the second half — after Sebastien Vahaamahina was red carded for foul play — but a late converted try from Ross Moriarty secured the victory for Wales.
There was plenty of hype around this fixture as Ireland won two of the last three matches between these sides but, as the scoreline suggests, this encounter was all about the All Blacks, who dominated for long periods.
As expected, this was an entertaining spectacle with both sides going at each other hammer and tongs for the full 80 minutes but, in the end, England's class shone through with their forwards laying a superb platform for their win.
Gregor Townsend’s men may have started on the front foot with Finn Russell going over, but the Brave Blossoms hit back superbly via Kotaro Matsushima, Keita Inagaki and Kenki Fukuoka.
It was a poor display from Warren Gatland’s men but they started well enough, going 7-0 ahead via Nicky Smith’s try. However, they struggled to get to grips with a feisty and energetic Uruguayan outfit. The 2019 Grand Slam winners conceded far too many penalties and Felipe Berchesi made no mistake off the tee to keep Los Teros in the contest at the interval.
In a topsy-turvy match, characterised by several unforced errors from both sides, the Pacific Islanders got better as the match progressed and eventually outscored the Eagles by four tries to three.
In an entertaining match, played at a fast pace, Ireland did well to dominate proceedings after Aki received his marching orders. This, for making contact with the head of Ulupano Seuteni with his shoulder in a tackle 10 minutes before half-time.
The Wallabies had 80 per cent of the ball in the first half but they could only muster a 10-3 advantage at the break following Nic White’s try and Matt Toomua’s penalty.
In a tough and uncompromising encounter which was characterised by brilliant attacking play and several brutal collisions, Fiji were competitive throughout but Wales proved too strong in the end and outscored the Pacific Islanders by four tries to three with Josh Adams leading the way with a hat-trick.
With a try bonus-point also achieved, the Scots claimed the required five points that sets up a mouth-watering clash with Japan on Sunday.
With their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals dashed after losing to England at the weekend, the Pumas were determined to bounce back with an improved effort and they did just that as they dominated most facets of play and eventually outscored the USA by seven tries to three.
As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair which was dominated by the Springboks from the kick off and they held a comfortable 47-0 lead at half-time.
As the scoreline suggests, this was a tightly contested affair and although France secured the result, Tonga finished stronger and eventually outscored them by three tries to two.
As expected this was a one-sided affair although the All Blacks battled to hit their stride and held a narrow 10-9 lead after 35 minutes before two late first-half tries gave them a 24-9 buffer at the break.
In a fast-paced and entertaining encounter, momentum between the sides ebbed and flowed throughout but the Brave Blossoms held a slight edge throughout and secured the win despite a brave effort from their opponents.
Los Pumas actually began the game well, going ahead via Benjamin Urdapilleta’s penalty, but Tomas Lavanini’s red card for a dangerous tackle changed the course of the encounter.