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           2019  England March On                                                                           Springboks Overcome Japan

           23rd,                                                                                     J a p a n  To Secure Semi-Final Spot

           October  After Demolition Job                                                          huffed and
                                                                                                  puffed, but
                                                                                                  were unable

           |  On The Wallabies                                                                    to blow the
                                                                                                  Springbok
           EXAMINER  ngland stormed into the  repeatedly played into English  over a Wallabies attack and  house down
                                                                                                        South
                                                                                                  as
                                                                                                  A f r i c a
                                                                     then driving Reece Hodge
                                        hands,
                 World Cup semi-finals as
                                                                by
                                                  summed-up
           IRISH  Etwo tries from Jonny May  Anthony Watson’s late inter-  backwards with a muscular  ground their
                                                                                                  way into the
                                        cept of Kurtley Beale’s wild
            underpinned a record-equaling
                                                                     tackle as England continued to
                                                                                                  semi-finals with a convincing victory at Tokyo Stadium on
                                                                     dominate.
                                        pass that completed the rout.
            40-16 victory over Australia at
            Oita Stadium.                  Any doubt over Jordan       Two bullocking runs from   Sunday.
              May celebrated his 50th cap  Petaia’s readiness for the big  Samu Kerevi punched holes in  The Boks withstood the sustained pressure exerted by the
            by touching down twice in the  stage quickly evaporated as the  Red Rose ranks and the threat  Brave Blossoms, who were roared on by chants of “Nippon!
            first half but a seventh succes-  19-year-old center made two  ended with Leali’ifano’s third  Nippon! Nippon!” from their noisy supporters.
            sive win against the Wallabies  impressive early touches as  penalty, but two minutes into  The magic that Japan produced in a four-match unbeaten run
            was truly founded on a fero-  part of a strong start by  the second half they had     in the pool stages was not evident this time around as the Boks
            cious defense led by man of the  Australia.              reduced the deficit to a single  secured a semi-final date with Wales on Sunday 27 October.
            match Tom Curry.               England invited pressure  point.                          Left-wing Makazole Mapimpi scored two tries, but it was the
              Four years ago it was     when Slade coughed up the      Petaia was instrumental as  South Africa forwards who laid the platform for the victory.
            Australia  who     dumped   ball in contact, enabling Beale  he grabbed a missed pass, dum-  “We were very nervous at half-time. Overall, we were nerv-
            England out of their own    to launch a counter-attack that  mied one way before feeding  ous going into this match, with the home support, and the way
            World Cup at the group stage,  ended  with  a  Christian  Marika Koroibete who sprinted  they played against Ireland and Scotland,” coach Rassie Erasmus
            but their revenge for that  Leali’ifano penalty.         around Daly to cross under the  said afterwards.
            humiliation was crushing.      But in the space of three  posts.                         “Going into half-time and only being up a few points and leav-
              Owen Farrell reveled in his  minutes Jones’ team had taken  England’s response was  ing a few tries out there, there was definitely a lull and quietness
            return at fly-half in place of  a stranglehold on the game by  immediate, however, as several  in our change room. But having been together for 17 weeks, the
            George Ford, with his pass to  scoring two tries in quick suc-  strong carries brought reward  guys knew which buttons to push and to get ourselves out of
            Kyle Sinckler for the third try  cession, both finished by May.  when Farrell found Sinckler on  that lull. So, we were a bit proud of that.”
            showing his class as ringmaster  Manu Tuilagi and Watson  a superb line that swept the   The Bok scrum set up the opening try by Mapimpi, pictured
            in a return to form for     were prominent in the build-up  Harlequins prop over the  top, in the fourth minute.
            England’s captain.          to the first before Curry sent  whitewash.                   Player of the Match Faf de Klerk found a flying Mapimpi, who
              From the kicking tee he was  May over in the left corner, but  A scrum penalty kicked by  bumped Yu Tamura out of the way before holding off Ryohei
            immaculate as four penalties  the second was opportunism of  Farrell drove another nail in  Yamanaka.
            and four conversions made up  the highest order.         Australia’s coffin, as did their  South Africa loose-head prop Tendai Mtawarira was yellow-
            a 20-point haul.               A loose pass by David     inability to capitalize on a peri-  carded for a dangerous tackle on opposite number Keita Inagaki
              And in further vindication of  Pocock was picked off by Slade  od spent pounding the white-  in the 10th minute.
            Eddie Jones’ decision to drop  and the Exeter center raced  wash with Will Genia at fault  But South Africa defended courageously and repelled wave
            Ford in favor of a more muscu-  into opposition territory before  for the lost chance.  after wave of attacks from Japan, with wingers Kenki Fukuoka
            lar midfield, it was Slade’s cun-  directing an outstanding kick  Sensing victory was theirs,  and Kotaro Matsushima unable to break through.
            ning interception and astute  into the path of May, who  England finished strongly as a  “At half-time, the boys were a bit down,” Japan coach Jamie
            grubber that presented May  scooped up the ball and      rolling maul drove the under-  Joseph said. “There were a few niggles in our group, but at the
            with his second try.        touched down.                dogs backwards and secured a  end of the day, I am just so proud of my team – the courage, the
              Australia trailed heavily    Australia were taking risks,  penalty  that  Farrell  sent  tenacity, the sheer determination… I really must take my hat off
            against Wales and Fiji in the  including one ill-advised chip  between the uprights.  to the team.”
            group stage, but having fought  out of the 22 by Beale, and  The final blow was landed   Japan reduced the deficit to 5-3 when fly-half Tamura slotted
            back from 17-6 down to within  were consistently met by a wall  by Watson as he poached a  a penalty in the 20th minute, but while he attempted a few cross-
            a point shortly after the interval  of white shirts that was living  simple try off Beale’s mistake,  kicks to his wings, it did not result in points.
            there was to be no escape act in  up to Jones’ pre-match promise  completing a resounding quar-  The best scoring chance wasted by the Springboks came
            Oita.                       of defending with “brutality”.  ter-final victory as Koroibete  when center Lukhanyo Am was in space before half-time, but
              The Wallabies’ tactics were  Curry was magnificent in  was denied a second try by the  delayed too long before passing to Mapimpi then threw too low.
            often brainless and chaotic and  one passage of play, turning  TMO late on. C            The South Africans, though, displayed better composure in
                                                                                                  the second 40 minutes. They stuck to their gameplan of using
                                                                                                  the forwards to pound up the middle, and fly-half Handre
                                                                                                  Pollard kicked two penalties to stretch the lead to 14-3.
                                                                                                     Then the Boks went into overdrive. A relentless maul from a
                                                                                                  lineout, which crept forward for about 45 meters, led to substi-
                                                                                                  tute hooker Malcolm Marx breaking away to put De Klerk over.
                                                                                                     “The message at half-time was just to be patient and trust in
                                                                                                  our plans. Our mauls and scrums were working, and we didn’t
                                                                                                  take our opportunities in that first half,” Kolisi said.
                                                                                                     Mapimpi finished things off with his second touchdown – his
                                                                                                  13th in 12 tests – with 10 minutes to go to finally put the lights
                                                                                                  out on Japan’s memorable World Cup party.
                                                                                                     “I am very proud to be the captain of this team. Three years
                                                                                                  ago, Jamie (Joseph) and I got together and made this team. We
                                                                                                  did everything to win, and today we did everything we could.
                                                                                                  But South Africa were wonderful,” said Japan captain Michael
                                                                                                   Leitch. C
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