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LENS - Fullback Ruan Pienaar scored two tries as South Africa needed their heavy brigade to overcome an exciting Tonga 30-25 and secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals as pool winners on Sunday (NZ time).
Tonga were leading 10-7 after an early second-half try by prop
Kisi Pulu against the Springboks second string that coach Jake White had fielded for the Pool A match at the Felix Bollaert stadium.
With barely five minutes of the half gone, White sent on John Smit, Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield and Francois Steyn. Minutes later Juan Smith also came on.
Steyn, relieving first five-eighths Andre Pretorius of the kicking duties, levelled the score in the 53rd minute with a penalty from close to the halfway line.
South Africa then proceeded to run away on the scoreboard with a try by Smith from a maul, then two more quick touchdowns in the corner by Bobby Skinstad, captain for the day, and Pienaar, then playing first five-eighths, with his second of the match.
Percy Montgomery, another of South Africa's big name replacements, put over a penalty and a conversion in the match in which he set a national caps record of 90.
Tonga, who had shocked Samoa 19-15 in their previous match, did not give up and ran in two popular tries that had the local crowd on their feet, centre Sukanaivalu Hufanga and flanker Viliami Vaki getting the touchdowns while South Africa were down to 13 men towards the end of the match.
First five-eighths Pierre Hola had a fine match, orchestrating the Tongan attack and kicking 10 points which included a late penalty that secured a defensive bonus point. South Africa earned a four-try bonus.
Steyn and Tonga wing Joseph Vaka were sin-binned for fighting in the 64th minute and Habana was also shown the yellow card in the 69th.
South Africa went ahead for the first time midway through the first half.
Pienaar caught the Tonga defence napping when he tapped a quick penalty out on the left near the halfway line and ran through to touch down in the corner and Pretorius converted.
Pienaar's cheeky move gave the South Africans a narrow 7-3 lead at halftime.
Tonga, though, were unlucky not to be in front at that stage when they had a try disallowed for a forward pass.
From a scrum in the centre near the Springboks' tryline, Hola bypassed two backs with his pass out to the wing where prop Soane Tonga'uiha crossed the line by the corner flag.
South Africa could have had a more comfortable lead but for the poor place kicking of Pretorius, who missed three feasible penalties yet had success with his hardest, the first conversion.
- REUTERS