South Africa's Springboks crushed Japan 61-7 at a rain-soaked Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, scoring nine tries to secure a comfortable win. Japan's sole try came from fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki, but they couldn't match the physicality in tough conditions, with no repeat of the 2015 'Miracle of Brighton' upset.
The match unfolded on a sodden pitch at Wembley Stadium, where wet conditions made handling the ball challenging for both sides. The Springboks led 26-0 at halftime and maintained dominance throughout. Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse each scored two tries, while captain Siya Kolisi, flanker Andre Esterhuizen (shifted from center), prop Wilco Louw, and center Jesse Kriel also crossed the line, showcasing forward dominance.
Japan's only try came from fullback Yoshitaka Yazaki during a rare foray into the Springboks' 22, but they struggled against the opponents' physicality. The Brave Blossoms were hampered by yellow cards to prop Shuhei Takeuchi and flanker Ben Gunter, forcing them to play with 14 players for 20 minutes total.
Springboks captain Kolisi said afterward: "I thought we did what we wanted to do, we made a couple of mistakes but credit to Japan, they played with pace and moved the ball quickly. We tried to slow it down at the breakdown and make our hits. We had to work for everything we got today."
South Africa will monitor prop Ox Nche's ankle injury from the 19th minute as they face tougher opposition next week against France in Paris, followed by matches against Italy, Ireland, and Wales in the Autumn International series. For Japan, the result dims memories of their 34-32 upset over South Africa in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, known as the 'Miracle of Brighton'.