South Africa’s World Cup title defence is back on track after a seven-try, bonus-point victory over Tonga who gave as good as they got, scoring three tries of their own. The five points collected in Marseille just about guarantees the Springboks’ passage to the quarter-finals. Barring an upset in the match involving Scotland and Ireland next week, Siya Kolisi’s men will meet France in Paris in a fortnight.
Tonga, who took the lead with an early William Havili penalty, have been accused of being less than the sum of their parts at this tournament and have lost heavily against Ireland and Scotland. Here they were cohesive around the fringe and at the breakdown and spent most of the opening half camped in South Africa’s 22.
However, they were chasing the game after conceding two tries against the run of play. First Cobus Reinach tapped and went on five minutes before Canan Moodie ghosted through a static defence after a lucky bounce off Vincent Koch’s shoulder. Tonga waited for a whistle that never came as the crowd booed their disapproval.
Tonga kept hammering the line. They showed ambition by turning down two kickable penalties in favour of going to the corner. But when Deon Fourie rumbled over for a rolling-maul try after the half-hour mark, the game seemed to be heading for an inevitable conclusion, especially with Handré Pollard slotting all his kicks at goal.
Again Tonga refused to go away. Their pack was aggressive in the carry and resolute on defence. After winning another penalty, they went to the corner just before the break. A maul was set and after several meaty carries from close range their captain and hard-running prop, Ben Tameifuna, eventually breached the line to score.
“It was a hard battle out there,” Tameifuna said. “This team, we don’t have a lot, but the boys turn up at this tough tournament and to put on a performance like that shows where we are all heading.”
After South Africa’s loss to Ireland, a rumour spread they were keeping some tricks up their sleeve. There will be no such theories put forth after this grinding win that felt like a textbook Springboks performance, rich in strong charges from midfield and well-drilled maul routines.
“Our hookers got some decent game time in a proper Test match against some good opposition,” said South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber after the match.
The bonus point was secured through grunt rather than grace 10 minutes after the restart as Jesse Kriel, on as a first-half substitute for Makazole Mapimpi, who suffered a fracture to a cheekbone, burrowed low to squeeze the ball over the line. Pollard duly made it four kicks from four attempts, giving fuel to an argument that his accuracy off the tee is the missing component to South Africa’s World Cup title defence. It would be his last act as he made way for the more fluent, but less reliable, Maine Libbok.
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That switch coincided with the game breaking open and becoming a try-fest. First Tonga hit back with Fine Inisi exploiting an overlap on the right before Willie le Roux touched down at the other end.
Marco van Staden rounded off a swift counterattack sparked by a Libbok pass but the most thrilling score came eight minutes from time as Patrick Pellegrini launched a chip on the gallop from his own half and then collected a sumptuous knocked-back pass on the touchline before skipping round a tackler and sliding over. Kwagga Smith had the final say, scoring at the death to close out South Africa’s pool games. Tougher challenges, and bigger prizes, await.
