South Africa ended Japan’s phenomenal run at the Rugby World Cup with a 26-3 win in Sunday night’s quarterfinal.

Japan, which was playing a World Cup knockout match for the first time ever, fell behind to an early Makazole Mapimpi try before a Yu Tamura penalty sent the Brave Blossoms into halftime trailing by just two points.

But the Springboks, who are looking to win the trophy for the third time, turned the screw in the second half with three penalties from the boot of Handre Pollard, before two tries in the space of four minutes made the game safe for South Africa.

The Springboks will now look forward to a semifinal against Wales in Yokohama on Oct. 27, while Japan can reflect on a hugely successful campaign that saw it beat Russia, Ireland, Samoa and Scotland and reach the quarterfinals for the first time.

South Africa took just four minutes to open the scoring, driving the Japan scrum back before Faf de Klerk fed Mapimpi, who broke through two tackles down the left wing before touching down in the corner. Pollard missed the conversion.

The Springboks were then temporarily reduced to 10 men when Tendai Mtawarira was yellow-carded for a tip tackle on Keita Inagaki, and Japan looked lively in his absence. A series of exhilarating attacks failed to get the Brave Blossoms on the scoreboard, but Tamura eventually kicked a penalty in the 19th minute to reduce the deficit to two points.

Japan had a lucky escape when Lukhanyo Am’s offload to Mapimpi with the try line at his mercy failed to come off in the 35th minute, and again when Damian de Allende had a try ruled out in the final action of the first half.

Pollard slotted two penalties early in the second half to edge South Africa closer in front, although the Springbok No. 10 missed another attempt in the 58th minute.

Pollard did hit the mark with another penalty in the 63rd minute, however, before South Africa landed the killer blow three minutes later. The Springboks pack drove Japan back, Malcolm Marx broke away, and the substitute found De Klerk for the scrumhalf to dive over the line.

South Africa then picked off a tiring Japan on the counterattack as Mapimpi scored his second try of the game in the 70th minute.

-Agencies