Japan 34 South Africa 32 Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool B - Duane Vermeulen on how the Boks comeback
Oct 24, 2015, 02:45 PM
On day 2 of the 2015 Rugby World Cup Japan produced a huge shock in defeating the Springboks 34-32 in Brighton.
It turned out to be the only occasion a Southern Hemisphere side was beaten by one from anywhere else in the entire tournament, and left South Africa on the edge of a humiliating pool-stage elimination. Number eight Duane Vermeulen tells me about the harsh words spoken by the Springbok squad to help instigate a recovery, with bonus-point wins over Samoa, Scotland and the USA securing their quarter-final as Pool B winners. A 75th-minute try by Fourie du Preez then snatched a quarter-final victory for the Boks over Wales, setting up a semi-final against defending champions New Zealand.