South Africa suffering one of the greatest upsets in Rugby World Cup history might have been more costly for the rest of Pool B than it was for the Springboks.
Since the humbling loss to Japan that kicked off its 2015 World Cup slate, South Africa has been an unstoppable juggernaut, first torching Samoa 46-6 and then doubling up fellow Tier 1 nation Scotland this past Saturday by a final score of 34-16.
The United States entered its matchup with South Africa having already been eliminated from World Cup contention, and its fate Wednesday in London was the worst yet.
The Eagles trailed by just two tries at halftime but had their doors blown off in a 50-point second half that resulted in a 64-0 Springboks shellacking. Bryan Habana scored three of his team’s 10 tries to bring his career World Cup total to 15, tying him with New Zealand legend Jonah Lomu for the all-time record.
“In the first half, I was so pleased with the way our guys played,” Eagles coach Mike Tolkin told reporters after the game. “We came up against a full Springboks side, and we had a lot of guys in there who hadn’t had much game time during the World Cup and during the summer, and they just poured their hearts out.”
It was the first time the U.S. had ever been shut out in World Cup competition.
“I’m not too worried about the score,” captain Samu Manoa told reporters. “Really, we just wanted to focus on how we play together against a top team like that. I’m really proud of the boys. Like coach said, we played really well in the first half, just need to come out in the second half.”
The U.S. will have one final chance to put a notch in the win column Sunday when it takes on Japan.
With just a few days remaining in pool play, here’s how the battle for the eight quarterfinal berths have shaken out so far:
Pool A: Australia and Wales already have locked down the top two spots in their pool (while tournament host England will watch the knockout rounds from home). The result of their matchup Saturday will determine which nation finishes first in the group and which nabs second.
Pool B: South Africa has locked down the top spot in Pool B and will play the loser of Australia-Wales in the quarterfinals. Scotland also will qualify if it defeats Samoa, or if Japan loses to or ties the U.S. If none of those situations happen, Japan will go through.
Pool C: New Zealand won its first three games to clinch first place. The defending World Cup champions most likely will be joined in the quarterfinals by Australia, as Tonga must defeat the mighty All Blacks to have any hope of advancing.
Pool D: Ireland and France will be the quarterfinal representatives for the final pool, with Sunday’s meeting between the Six Nations rivals deciding which team finishes in front.
The quarterfinals will be played Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, followed by the semifinals the following weekend and the championship on Halloween.
