South Africa eased to an ominous 49-3 win against a daring but inconsistent Fijian team to move to the top of Pool D in Wellington. Two tries in the first half were followed by four more in the second as a clinical Springboks squad ground down the spirited Islanders in a physical match that underlined the quality of South African tactics in a World Cup environment.
A stubborn and desperate Fijian defence frustrated the more fancied South African pack from battering their way through the middle of the park as the defending champions struggled to turn their dominance into points in the opening quarter of the match. Sporadic running brilliance from the Fijians earned them valuable ground from almost anywhere on the field against a South African team intent on dominating territory, although a watertight Springbok defence held the Islanders to a solitary kick at goal in the entire half. A slippery run by influential wing JP Pietersen had Fiji back-pedalling before pure power from Gurthro Steenkamp earned the Springboks a hard-fought, if deserved, first try in the corner after 25 minutes. Jacques Fourie grabbed a clinical second soon after as the Fijian defence tired and lost structure in a physically demanding match, before the usually reliable Morne Steyn somewhat rectified a surprisingly average kicking display with a routine penalty as South Africa stretched the lead to 21-3 by half time.
Fiji began the second half in an aggressive manner but were unable to break down the outstanding defensive structures of the South African line before a classy chip from Heinrich Brussow sent Francois Steyn over out wide in the first meaningful South African attack of the half. The game settled into a predictable rhythm of solid defence and laboured attack by both teams before Morne Steyn broke the Fijian line from close range to push the score past 30. Fiji blew an easy try soon after to sum up an evening that saw them threaten without any final product. A quick break saw Morne Steyn combine with his namesake Francois to send ‘Beast’ Mtawarira over for his second international try before Danie Rossouw capped an impressive game with a try of his own as South Africa outlasted the Fijians to dominate the final quarter of the game.