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After being defeated by Ireland, the Boks knew they had a lot riding on the final pool match at the Stade de Marseille against Tonga on Sunday night.

Their determination and resilience paid off in the end, as the Springboks properly thumped Tonga, positioning themselves on the cusp of reaching the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup.

The team clinched a bonus point 49-18 win over Tonga – woop woop – but they still need to wait for the final pool match between Ireland and Scotland next weekend to make 100% sure that they qualify for the quarterfinals.

If Scotland wins against Ireland, they will both walk away from their match in Paris with a bonus point.

News24 notes that while the Boks’ polish and performance were the kind “only a doting mother would love”, their sheer bloody willpower and character made up for it. To most fans the performance was typical Bokke – settle down and then grind the sh*t out of the opposition until they break.

Tonga were obviously up for the fight, and with some of the biggest players in the RWC, they put up a valiant fight. But big, heavy guys have to run up and down the field along with everyone else, so in the end, fatigue kicked in, and it’s then when the green and gold seemed to open the taps a bit wider.

Much of the pre-match talk was dominated by flyhalf Handré Pollard’s second coming, and well, he came, he kicked four from four, and in the 50th minute, he was called to rest leaving the Boks fan base with much less angst.

The scorers were:

South Africa (21) 49 — Tries: Cobus Reinach, Canan Moodie, Deon Fourie, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith.
Conversions: Handré Pollard (4), Manie Libbok (3).

Tonga (8) 18 — Tries: Ben Tameifuna, Fine Inisi, Patrick Pellegrini.
Penalty: William Havili.

Overall, the match showcased the South African team’s physical prowess and tactical skill, with Handre Pollard playing a pivotal role in their success this weekend.

In the end, it was as much a victory based on the scoreline as the manner in which they played – a reason why the Boks are considered one of the world’s top rugby teams.

We’re holding thumbs that the Boks will get to achieve another potentially successful title defence.

[source:citizen&news24]