South Africa 30 Tonga 25:South Africa fullback Percy Montgomery admits he will not be surprised if Tonga send England spinning out of the World Cup on Friday. The world champions meet the Tongans in a winner-takes-all qualification decider in Paris, and Montgomery is perfectly placed to judge their relative merits.
The Sharks number 15 booted 18 points in the Springboks' 36-0 thrashing of Brian Ashton's men a week and a half ago.
Yesterday, he came off the bench, along with a number of other South African big guns, to help rescue his team and secure a hard-fought 30-25 win over the Polynesians.
There is no question which team gave the Springboks the bigger test. And Montgomery believes Tonga have every chance of turning over the reigning champions.
"You can never write off the big teams like England because they have so much experience and they have the back-up," he said.
"But I think it will tough for them. The Tongan team have got some good momentum at the moment, they've got some really good players. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they were to win."
The Springboks were 10-7 down to Tonga heading into the final 30 minutes of Saturday's pulsating clash in Lens, and it was only then coach Jake White brought his cavalry off the bench.
John Smit, BJ Botha, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana and Francois Steyn all came on, with Montgomery joining the field soon after.
They helped turn the tide and when Ruan Pienaar went over for his second try, in the 65th minute, they led 27-10.
The Pacific Islanders fought back manfully and came to within five points with eight minutes left thanks to tries by Sukanaivalu Hufanga and Viliami Vaki.
A match-winning score eluded them, despite South Africa being down to 13 men at one point, but Tonga left the field after the final whistle to vibrant applause.
The bonus-point win capped a perfect day for Montgomery, who claimed his 90th cap and broke the national appearances record he had been sharing with the legendary scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen.
White's team will top the group and face Wales or Fiji in the quarter-finals.
SOUTH AFRICA: Pienaar; Willemse, Olivier, Julies, Pietersen; Pretorius, Januarie; Steenkamp, G Botha, van der Linde; B Botha, van den Berg; van Heerden, Rossouw, Skinstad. Replacements: Steyn for Julies, B Botha for Steenkamp, Smit for G Botha, Matfield for van den Berg (all 47 mins); Smith for Rossouw (50 mins); Montgomery for Pretorius (60 mins). Sinbinned: Steyn (63 mins); Habana (69 mins).
TONGA: Lilo; Tu'ifua, Hufanga, Taione, Vaka; Hola, Tuipulotu; S Tonga'uiha, Lutui, Pulu; Hehea, Kauhenga; Vaki, Latu, Maka. Replacements: Afeaki for Kauhenga (50 mins); Havea for Tuipulotu, Taukafa for Lutui, Filipine for Latu (all 66 mins); Tupou for Taione (76 mins). Sinbinned: Vaka (63 mins).
Referee: W Barnes (RFU).
