First up was Romania at DHL Newlands in Cape Town, where a much-changed Springbok side won 21-8, with Adriaan Richter, who captained the Boks for this match, scoring both their tries. Gavin Johsnon added a conversion and three penalty goals.
The infamous "Battle of Boet Erasmus" in PE followed, where a power failure meant the kick-off had to be pushed back, and a massive brawl ensued later on in the match, with James Dalton sent off and Pieter Hendriks later suspended.
Nonetheless, South Africa won 20-0 - with Richter adding two more tries to his personal tally and Joel Stransky slotting two conversions and two penalty goals - and qualified to face Western Samoa in the quarter-finals.
<< VIEW OUR RWC OPENER GALLERY HERE >>
<< LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST WITH JOEL STRANSKY HERE >>
All pictures from Gallo Images or Grant Leversha.
