The Springboks have defeated the USA Eagles by 64 points to nil in their Rugby World Cup match at the Olympic Stadium in London.
The Sprinboks entered this game needing a bonus point win to ensure they finished top of their pool. The USA Eagles had yet to record their first tournament points and made 12 changes to their starting line-up, indicating that their focus was on Sundays match up against tournament surprise package Japan.
The first Springbok try came in the 7th minute, with Fourie du Preez taking a quick tap penalty close to the Eagles line. Play became a bit scrappy, with the ball not being protected and it was up to Man of the Match, Damian de Allende, to pounce on the loose ball and run straight and hard to power over under the posts.
The second try was set up by a great steal in midfield by Eben Etzebeth. Slick passing by Fourie du Preez and Schalk Burger was followed by a fantastic offload from Beast Mtawarira to Handre Pollard, who ran an intelligent outside line to break the defence. He offloaded to Jessie Kriel, who came close to scoring but was held up short. After three consecutive scrum penalties, the penalty try was inevitable.
The first half was characterised by a slow start by the Springboks, along with some sloppy handling. They were also put under pressure by the Eagles high speed rushed defense. The Eagles will rue missing two kicks off the tee.
In the second half, it was a much more focussed Springbok team that entered the fray and they started using a more tactically astute kicking game to turn the rushed defence around.
Within two minutes of the break Fourie du Preez stabbed a grubber through the defence, which Bryan Habana latched onto to score. Bismark du Plessis was next to score after a scrum on the Eagles line. Duane Vermeulen drove short of the line, for Du Preez to give a flat pass onto Du Plessis to score.
The next Springbok try came by means of a staple for them. After a penalty kick into the corner, Francois Louw scored after a linout maul. Bryan Habana scored his second try of the game off a superbly executed set piece move. From a lineout, Du Preez found De Allande who had run an arched line towards and then away from the linout. A short offload to Habana say him score under the posts.
It was in the 61st minute that Bryan Habana scored his hat trick try and equal Jonah Lomu’s record tally of sixteen in Rugby World Cup tournaments. The Eagles were dominating a maul and should have turned over possession. Inexplicably, the ball was ripped out of the Sprinboks hands and ball landed in the path of a chasing Habana, who went over untouched.
In the 68th minute, Francois Louw scored after yet another well-structured and controlled lineout drive. The was followed in the 72nd minute by a try for Jessie Kriel. Replacement scrumhalf Rudi Paige sent out a long pass to another replacement, Morne Steyn, who give a short pass to Kriel who had run around his back. His pace and intelligent running line saw him run in next to the uprights.
The final score of the evening came when the Eagles coughed up possession on the halfway line. Lwazi Mvovo hacked the ball ahead to collect and score.
One of positives the Springboks can take out of this game, especially the second half, is the game time afforded to the likes of Willem Alberts, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Morne Steyn and Rudi Paige. Each and every member of the squad has now been given game time, auguring well for later in the tournament should their depth be tested.
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