Rugby World Cup 2023: South Africa stuns Romania

With a reshuffled team, the Springboks stunned the Romanian XV from the start of the match, with four tries in the first twelve minutes of play.

Second match and second correction for Romania . After the heavy defeat during their first meeting against Ireland (82-8), this time it was the South Africans who held their own against the Romanians by scoring 12 tries to win (76-0).

The South Africans, potential opponents of France or New Zealand in the quarter-finals, then repelled the rare Romanian incursions into their 22 meters, while punishing them with twelve tries, including two hat-tricks from Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi .

The Springboks , who fielded a reshuffled team compared to the one which had beaten Scotland on the first day (18-3), were able to play their rugby without difficulty.

They quickly led (26-0) after twelve minutes of play and a double from scrum half Cobus Reinach.

The horizon was then a victory and a historic gap but South Africa preferred, it seems, to slow down to return to the locker room leading (33-0).

In this group B, the reigning world champions come back to one point behind Ireland, leader after their big victory against Tonga ( 59-16) the day before, before their summit meeting on Saturday at the Stade de France.