Oct 8, 2007, 15:43 GMT
Johannesburg - A 'hair-raising' end to a fairytale, was how the tense Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory of the Springboks over Fiji Sunday was described by South African media Monday.
After the defeat of other southern hemisphere favourites the All Blacks by France and Australia's loss to England, many had wondered whether Fiji had a surprise up its sleeve for the Springboks.
But the Springboks had written 'a ragged The End to the (Fiji's)once upon a time fairytale,' The Star newspaper wrote.
A front-page photograph in The Star showing two Springboks fans clutching their heads anxiously as they watched Fiji nearly put pay to South Africa's World Cup ambitions at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
But for wing JP Pietersen's beyond-the-line tackle on lock Ifereimi Rawaqu, which prevented Fiji from landing the try that would have put them in the lead in the 67th minute, things could have been very different for the Springboks, most commentators concurred.
South Africa was merely three points up at 23-20 at the time of the tackle. Two more tries saw them pull ahead to eventually defeat Fiji 37-20.
The Springboks had 'made life tough for themselves' by giving away possession to an attacking Fijian side, Business Day's Zeena Isaacs observed.
'[Jake] White and his team have a lot of work to do to keep alive their hopes of being crowned world champions because a similarly scrappy performance against Argentina could get them knocked out this weekend,' she added.
But most commentators were confident of an easy ride to the final, where they expected to meet France.
The Pumas were 'going to find it tough against South Africa,' Gavin Rich of Supersport website wrote. 'Their strength in the first phases and their sound kicking game makes up for a lack of flair and imagination at the back that could well be punished next week by the Boks.'
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