Nail-biting finish as Boks book Rugby World Cup final date with England

In a match that could not have been more of a contrast to England’s emphatic win over the All Blacks on Saturday, the Springboks produced a nervous performance that saw them squeak home past Wales on Sunday night.

The nature of the Springboks performance was surprising given their more convincing and bruising displays earlier in the competition.

It was widely expected that the Springboks would continue with a kicking-focused game plan into the semifinals. But the South African seemed far more cautious in their approach, kicking away a large amount of possession in what can only be assumed as an effort to smother Wales with their defensive structures.

The Springboks may have opted to attack from a few more forays into Wales’ half but their conservative approach led to the game going down to the wire in Yokohama. 

The result hinged on the performance of flyhalf Handre Pollard, who’s boot kept the Springboks’ just ahead of Wales for most of the match. The halfback also produced a couple of attacking runs that sparked the only try of the match.

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Nevertheless, the result has put the Springboks into the finale of the competition and Rassie Erasmus and his technical team will turn their attention to a daunting task against England next weekend.

A nervous first half

The first ten minutes of the match seemed to set the tone of the Test as both teams felt each other out, seemingly reluctant to make any decisive moves on attack

South Africa had the first real throw of the dice as they managed to secure a scrum just outside Wales’ 22 after a testing box kick from Faf de Klerk.

The ball was spilled by Wales and the Springboks attacked from the resulting scrum. Right wing Sbu Nkosi carried the ball into the midfield strongly and Wales flank Justin Tipuric was blown up for not rolling away.

Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard stepped up and knocked over the penalty to give his side a 3-nil lead early on.

From the resulting kickoff the Welsh managed to regain possession and go on the attack. The Springboks conceded a penalty for a high tackle inside their own 22 and flyhalf Dan Biggar put his side on the board from the resulting penalty to make it 3-3 after 16 minutes.

Three minutes later the Springboks managed to force a penalty at scrum time allowing Pollard to kick at goal and extend their lead to 6-3.

It took another ten minutes for anything mentionable to happen. Eventually the Springboks managed to secure a lineout inside Wales’ half, before the Northern Hemisphere side were blown up for entering the subsequent maul from the side.

Pollard lined up and slotted a second penalty to stretch their lead to 9-3.

Wales had the final throw of the dice of the first half as Biggar was given a shot at goal after the Springboks conceded a penalty inside their half. The successful kick took the teams into the half time break with South Africa leading 9-6.

Small moments make the difference

Wales got the scoreboard ticking in the second half through the boot of Biggar, after the Springboks conceded a penalty after a number of soft errors inside their own half.

It took up until the 55th minute for South Africa to have their first stab at running the ball inside Wales’ half. Pollard provided the impetus with two good breaks from phase play before the Springboks spread the ball wide.

Inside centre Damian de Allende received the ball in the wider channels and backed himself to take on the defence, breaking a number of tackles before crashing over the line for the first try of the match.

Pollard converted to give South Africa a 16-9 lead with 25 minutes left to play.

Wales then went on a sustained period of attack that changed the tone of the game. The Welsh worked their way into the Springbok 22 before being camped thereby some dogged defence from the South Africans for some 20 phases.

Eventually, the Springboks conceded a penalty and Wales opted for a scrum, where a shot at the posts looked the safer option. The Dragons attacked down the blindside from the set-piece and some silky hands saw Josh Williams score a crucial try in the left-hand corner.

Lee Halfpenny stepped up and nailed a tough sideline conversion to level the scores at 16-16 with 15 minutes to play.

The Springboks managed to secure far more possession in the remaining minutes of the game and it proved decisive just five minutes before full time.

Wales conceded a penalty inside their half for collapsing a maul which gave the Springboks the chance to put their noses ahead. Pollard stepped up and didn’t waste any time with the penalty, slotting the kick to put his side ahead 19-16.

South Africa then showed great resolve to hold onto possession and work their way into Wales’ 22 thanks to a useful grubber from replacement fullback Frans Steyn.

Wales then conceded a penalty as the full-time hooter sounded around the International Stadium Yokohama. Pollard tapped the ball and booted it out to wrap up a nervy and ugly 19-16 win over Wales.

The result sets up a Rugby World Cup final date with England next Saturday while Wales and New Zealand will lock horns in the Bronze playoff in Tokyo on Friday night.