Each attempt from Australia vs Portugal, South Africa vs Tonga, Tongan bench bolter Patrick Pellegrini stuns World Cup favourites
South Africa secured a bonus-point 49-18 win over Tonga and a profitable return to motion for flyhalf Handre Pollard on the Rugby World Cup in Marseille.
The Springboks scored seven tries of their remaining pool sport and Pollard transformed the primary 4 for a 100 per cent evening with the boot in his first take a look at in additional than a yr earlier than he left after 50 minutes.
Manie Libbok got here on for Pollard and kicked three from three conversions to make sure that, other than the essential victory, the defending champion additionally went some technique to placing proper the goal-kicking issues that had been evident in a 13-8 defeat to Eire in its final outing.
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First-choice flyhalf Libbok got here underneath strain for his wayward kicking in opposition to the Irish and Pollard’s promising return from harm will give the Springboks choices in the event that they progress to the knockouts. That is not but assured, although.
The end result took South Africa to the highest of Pool B however solely by some extent forward of Eire’s showdown with Scotland within the remaining set of pool video games subsequent weekend, which can determine which two undergo to the quarter-finals.
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An Eire victory will ship the Irish and the South Africans by way of. A Scotland victory may make it sophisticated and it’d come all the way down to factors distinction.
Whereas Tonga by no means actually threatened to upset South Africa, there have been flashes of brilliance from the small island nation.
Patrick Pellegrini’s remaining attempt of the match (prime) for Tonga capped off the evening during which they scored three tries – essentially the most of any staff in opposition to South Africa at this yr’s World Cup.
Tonga face Romania of their remaining Pool B match. Each groups are winless to this point.
Australia smothered a ferocious comeback by Portugal to win their gripping first matchup in Saint-Etienne.
The bonus-point victory stored alive the Wallabies’ faint quarter-final hopes. Their remaining Pool C match moved them into second place and the second quarter-final spot, and so they must keep in France for an additional week, with out one other sport assured, to attend to see if Fiji overtakes them.
Fiji is one level behind and must take just one level in opposition to Portugal in Toulouse to advance and ship Australia house.
Portugal could not put Australia out of its distress however it warmed the hearts in a packed Stade Geoffroy-Guichard with its daring and elegance.
Os Lobos scored two tries and had two others disallowed. Crucially, when Australia was lowered to 14 and 13 males round an hour in, the Portuguese could not end quite a few lineout maul probabilities in a dominant 20-minute interval that stored Wallabies coach Eddie Jones on his ft within the stands.
The turning level was within the fifteenth minute when Portugal centre and first try-scorer Pedro Bettencourt was yellow-carded. Australia with the person benefit was ruthless, scoring three transformed tries in six minutes. The Wallabies rushed from 7-3 all the way down to 24-7 forward.
