Bok defence cuts down Brave Blossoms

South Africa had to overcome a dismal first half which may have been due to an intimidating home crowd at the Tokyo Stadium on Saturday night.

The Japanese crowd was deafening for much of the first 40 minutes as their Brave Blossoms played with the same intensity that saw them cruise past Scotland in the final pool match last weekend.

The Springboks dogged defence proved to be the difference between the two teams and after 50 minutes, the momentum seemed to shift to South Africa. Rassie Erasmus’ men a few errors, but the chances that were taken proved to be enough to secure victory.

Dismal first half

The first scrum of the game belonged to the Springboks, as they put on a massive shove to put their side on the front foot.

Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk swung the ball out to Makazole Mapimpi on the blindside, and the left wing took on flyhalf Yu Tamura who was opposite him.

Mapimpi practically ran over Tamura, before brushing off a tackle from Ryohei Yamanaka to score in the left hand corner. Handre Pollard couldn’t convert leaving the Springboks with a 5-nil lead within the first 5 minutes.

After a dominant start, the Springboks found their backs against the ropes as veteran loosehead prop Beast Mtawarira was given a yellow card for a clear tip tackle on the 9 minute mark.

Just before Mtawarira was due to return to the field, Japan forced a penalty at scrum time which afforded them their first opportunity to put points on the board. Tamura lined up the penalty in front of the posts and drilled it home, reducing South Africa’s lead to 5-3.

The possession stats told a telling story by the 30 minute mark with the hosts enjoying the lion's share of the ball. The Springboks could only absorb the pressure defensively and relieve pressure in the odd moments that they regain the ball.

A good chance on a turnover from defence. The Springboks shifted the ball wide, but a low offload from Lukhanyo Am was unreachable by Mapimpi and a clear scoring chance went abegging.

Malcom Marx replaced Bongi Mbonambi on the 36 minute mark, with the starting hooker nursing what looked like a hamstring injury.

Another attacking chance was botched as the Springboks went wide from a driving maul. A crisp pass from Cheslin Kolbe was dropped Willie le Roux, further compounding what had been a below par first half from South Africa.

The Springboks got the scoreboard ticking in the second half - courtesy of a penalty goal from Pollard after Japan conceded a scrum penalty. 8-3.

A short while later, the Springboks managed to go on the offensive after pinning Japan in their own half. A loose ball allowed the Boks to turn over possession. After a couple of phases, the Springboks attacked the shortside but a forward pass from Le Roux cost what would have been a certain try.

From the resulting scrum, the Springbok forwards forced another penalty at scrum time and Pollard made no mistake kicking the points, putting his side ahead 8-3 and the score line remained the same until the break.

A good five minutes passed as South Africa began to enjoy a bit more possession. Pollard and Faf de Klerk opted for a lot of kicks. A scrum was the result of another midfield bomb.The Springboks managed to forced another penalty and opted for a shot at goal once again - but Pollard’s attempt sailed left of the uprights.

Ill-discipline began to cost Japan as the Springboks pinned them in their own half. The continual pressure of big defensive hits led to a number of turnovers. Attacking from another change in possession, De Klerk sniped around a ruck but was caught in a high tackle.

Pollard stepped up and made amends for his previous miss as he nailed the penalty to put South Africa 14-3 up with less than 20 minutes left to play.

From the resulting kickoff, Japan conceded a penalty for a dangerous tackle on Kolbe who had taken down the kick. Pollard kicked for the line and the Springboks setup for a lineout.

The ball was brought down quickly and a solid maul was set. The South African pack then produced a monstrous drive that went a good sixty metres, starting in their own half, before Marx broke away and offloaded to De Klerk who scored next to the posts.

Pollard added the extras and the Springboks extended their lead to 21-3.

A few minutes later Japan kicked for the corner from a penalty but the Springboks managed to win the lineout against the throw. De Klerk’s exit kick didn’t find touch and Japan ran the ball back at South Africa.

The Springbok forwards managed to scoop the ball back from the ruck and shifted the ball out to Pollard who ran onto the ball at pace from fullback.

The flyhalf cut the line before firing off a bullet pass to Le Roux who then released Mapimpi down the left wing to score his second try of the match. Pollard couldn’t convert, leaving South Africa with a 26-3 lead.

South Africa managed to hold onto their lead for the remaining ten minutes to book their spot in the semifinals - with a date against Wales next weekend in Yokohama.