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sportsexaminer
24
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