Rugby World Cup 2015 results, highlights: South Africa crush USA as Georgia pip Namibia to qualify for 2019 Japan RWC

South Africa cemented their spot at the top of the Pool B standings after routing USA in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, or RWC, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium on Wednesday. Bryan Habana scored a second half hat-trick to help the Springboks move into the quarterfinal round with momentum at their side.

Habana scored in the span of 19-second half minutes to cap South Africa’s 64-0 victory over the Eagles, the most one-sided triumph in the history of this year’s tournament. However, coach Heyneke Meyer, despite a strong victory, still wants more from his deadliest finisher, challenging Habana to continue his impressive performance into the final eight round, where the Springboks will face the loser of Pool A fixture between Australia and Wales.

“When we’ve really needed him [Habana] in the last three weeks, he’s been at his best,” Meyer said, reports World Rugby. "It’s really great that he’s on form because we’re going to need more tries from him.”

South Africa only led 14-0 before the interval, but a massive offensive run allowed them to score 50 more in the second period. It was the biggest winning margin in any of the RWC fixture so far, and USA was the first team to fail to score at a Rugby World Cup match.

USA fielded a different starting lineup from its rotation that lost 25-16 to Samoa. The Eagles rested their players ahead of their more winnable Rugby World Cup conclusion fixture against Japan, which sits two points behind Scotland in Pool B.

The Americans started impressively with hopes of another upset against South Africa, which was shocked by Japan in their tournament opener. However, the chances of another upset quickly vanished as the Springboks opened the match with a quick 7-0 score.

Georgia vs. Namibia

Georgia secured a slot in the next Rugby World Cup event after edging Namibia 17-16 in a tight match that saw several yellow cards and interminable references to the Television Match Official, or TMO, putting the game to a total of 110 minutes.

Georgia captain No. 8 Mamuka Gorgodze was once again the inspiration of his team, scoring the first of the Georgians’ two tries in the first half. Georgia will secure the all-important third place in Pool C, provided that New Zealand defeats Tonga on Friday.

Coach Milton Craig had said that a third place finish in their pool and an automatic qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan have been four years in the making, with the team focusing on their first and last games.

“It has been a focus we’ve had in the last two years since we qualified and we knew if we were going to have a chance to create history for Georgian rugby, we had to win this game together,” Craig said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Namibia captain Jacques Burger was forced off as early at the 10th-minute mark after suffering a blow to the head. With a point defeat against Georgia, Namibia was left wondering if Burger’s early exit could have been the difference in the game at Sandy Park.

The Namibians started the second period with 13 men after getting two yellow cards before the interval, leading Georgia with six points. However, Georgia came out aggressive in the second half, scoring two tries in the 51st- and 56th-minute mark and a penalty in the closing minute to lead 17-6. However, Namibia surged back a penalty and try of their own only to come up short for their first win in the quadrennial rugby tournament.