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LONDON. — Bryan Habana equalled the legendary Jonah Lomu’s record for the number of tries scored across World Cups when he crossed for a hat-trick that helped the Springboks ease to a one-sided 64-0 win over the USA at Olympic Park in London on Wednesday evening.

The wing, playing on the right this time to accommodate Lwazi Mvovo on the left, scored all three of his tries after halftime as the Boks took control following a sluggish opening 40 minutes that would not have sent any shivers of apprehension down the spines of future opponents.

However, by scoring 10 tries to nil en route to the first whitewash in this edition of the Rugby World Cup, the Boks were able to pick up the bonus-point win that made sure of their top place finish in Pool B.

By hitting the half century mark, they might also argue that they have built up some much needed collective and individual confidence before the start of the playoff phase. They did put it together impressively after the break.

They now wait four days until Australia and Wales face up to each other at Twickenham to determine the winner of Pool A before they know who their opponents will be in their quarterfinal in London on Saturday, 17 October – 10 days from now.

But their second-half dominance should have been anticipated because of the first phase and physical ascendancy they enjoyed in the opening 40 minutes.

The recent defeat to Japan should not change the fact that no Springbok team should ever consider a loss to the USA as a possibility.

The reality was that they had their first choice team on the field but for a long time they played like a midweek combination.

They led 14-0 at half-time after an opening 40 minutes where they showed plenty of evidence of the physicality and sheer physical strength that got them past Samoa and Scotland in the past two weeks.

Yet those who had read the comments of former All Black World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry would have been nodding their heads in agreement as time and again the Boks built up what should have been try scoring opportunities but they were thrown away by poor passing and a general lack of cohesion.

Henry said that the Boks have shown little other than brawn at this World Cup, and he reckons they may be in trouble when they come up against top teams who can match their physicality and prevent them from getting both the set phase dominance and the ascendancy in the collisions that the Boks have enjoyed over the past fortnight.

They did go about trying to rectify that in the second half, with some good little switches and interplays contributing to the landslide after half-time.

SCORES

SOUTH AFRICA 64 – Tries: Bryan Habana 3, Francois Louw 2, Damian de Allende, Bismarck du Plessis, Jesse Kriel and Lwazi Mvovo; Penalty try; Conversions: Handre Pollard 4; Morne Steyn 3.

USA 0. — supersport.com