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By Becky Grey
BBC Sport at Tokyo Stadium
South Africa stopped the fantasy World Cup of Japan run to reach the.
The Springboks led after when Tendai Mtawarira has been shown a yellow card to get a suggestion tackle a powerful encounter gave Makazole Mapimpi a campaign, but went down a player.
Japan could only have a Yu Tamura punishment against the man advantage, making the score.
Second-half attempts from Faf de Klerk and the 11 points of Mapimpi plus Handre Pollard put the Springboks .
The attempts put brought to an end a fairytale four months for the hosts and paid to any hopes of a duplicate of the 2015 World Cup win against the exact opponents of Japan.
The Springboks will now play Wales at the semi-final on Sunday, 27 October, with the winner.
It was an historic day for infantry that is Western as well as the fans knew it, posing for photographs with all fans as evidence they were not there.
Television audiences and media attention has improved after an impressive group-stage performance which included wins from Ireland and Scotland.
Japanese fisherman caught the hearts of enthusiasts and of the country across the world Since the hosts qualified for a World Cup quarter-final.
It was two-time winners South Africa who played , although the Brave Blossoms started as optimistically because they had played in the swimming pool stages, using fly-half Yu Tamura kicking cross-field to wing Kotaro Matsushima.
The Springboks overpowered Japan in a scrum along with the pass to Mapimpi of De Klerk discovered the wing with tons of space to run through Tamura and dive over in the corner.
It could take it to quieten the fans. Chants ofJapan were only disrupted when captain Michael Leitch needed the ball, where point extended cries ofLeitch rang outside rather.
A yellow card was for prop Mtawarira for a suggestion tackle at the 11th minute on reverse amount Keita Inagaki.
No tries came from the advantage, however, Japan won a scrum penalty just to the left of their articles and the crowd exploded into cheers. Tamura professionally landed the kick and reduce South Africas lead to 2.
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus had piled his side with power naming six forward on the seat.
When South Africa met with force Japans now trademark hands, it abandoned the Brave Blossoms than they had in the group stage, appearing slippery in assault.
A run up the left wing for Kenki Fukuoka attracted Japan up but the strike came to an end when the hosts conceded a penalty.
Indiscipline has been South Africas assault in the first halfs undoing of six penalties were conceded by that the Springboks to Japans two in the first 40 minutes.
A unsatisfactory 40 minutes has been capped off by a try for Damian de Allende. The center clawed his way through four laps to create it however his effort did not count due to a movement.
South Africa were to Pollard penalty and looked to have extended their lead further when Pieter-Steph du Toit cantered across the whitewash. But that you didnt count either because of a pass.
Pollard soon added another 3 points following a scrum punishment along with the job confronting Japan unexpectedly looked really daunting.
Living up to the name, run the ball out and the Brave Blossoms refused to give in and continued to try 22.
But a top tackle on De Klerk resulted in front of the posts in a third Pollard penalty that was powerful.
And it had been. The Sale scrum-half sprung via the hole made in the defence by a Springbok maul to score and Pollard acquired the conversion.
They had been well and truly in their stride by the conclusion of the match, although south Africas attack was frustrated by their indiscipline at the first 40 minutes.
Mapimpi took advantage of a overlap and thundered down the left wing. Japans Kotaro Matsushima gave chase but had been too late to halt the South African scoring his second of the match.
Chants ofJapan continued right up until the last whistle, when the players dropped to their knees and the crowd got to their feet to demonstrate their admiration for what their group had done.
As the Springboks thanked the lovers, Even the Japan players formed a circle around the field, tears running many cheeks. Hearts were broken in Tokyo, but their voice to provide their group one final roar until they left the pitch was found by Japanese lovers.
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi:It was precisely what I anticipated. We knew what they were going to bring today and it required a lot out of us to keep on fighting. We struggled and earth it out in the front of this crowd that was beautiful.
We knew how quickly they could play the game, they play a style thats fearless and didnt shy away from it today. We pride ourselves hard work .
Japan captain Michael Leitch:Rugby is about producing moments and taking opportunities. We had a few opportunities but sadly South Africa out us.
Congratulations to the South African team, they played their A game and played it very well.
Im tremendously proud of what this team have done. I am sure they will be proud of us, to represent the nations and Asia. Japan is only likely to get more powerful.
Former England fly-half Paul Grayson on BBC Radio 5 Live:The fantasy was always going to come to a conclusion at some point. Theyve brought the whole nation with them into the stages.
Theyve done themselves absolute credit because they play a brand of rugby which maximises each and every piece of physical and mental resource theyre capable of placing on the field. Theyve been a joy to see.
Theyve only run into a group who were too big and too strong for them.
Former Ireland international Jamie Heaslip on Radio 5 Live:If we come back through the whole match thereve been four or three other moments where there could have been another attempt. Charge to South Africa, it is 26-3, but there might certainly have been another 10 or even 20 points on top of that.
Japan: Yamanaka; Matsushima, Lafaele, Nakamura, Fukuoka; Tamura, Nagare; Inagaki, Horie, Koo, Thompson, Moore, Leitch (c), Labuschagne, Himeno.
Replacements: Lava Lemeki, Sakate, Nakajima, Ai Valu, Van der Walt Tanaka, Matsuda.
South Africa: Le Roux: Kolbe, Am, De Allende, Mapimpi; Pollard, De Klerk, Mtawarira, Mbonambi, Malherbe, Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi (c), Du Toit, Vermeulen
Replacements: Marx, Kitschoff, Koch Mostert H Jantjies, Steyn
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