Tokyo: South Africa broke Japanese hearts with a 26-3 quarter-final victory on Sunday to set up a Rugby World Cup semi-final against Wales, who needed a late try to scrape past 14-man France by a single point. Japan showed their trademark pace and adventure in a promising first half, but they were worn down by the two-time world champions who scored 21 unanswered points in the second period.

Defeat brought an end to Japan's marvellous run, in which they stunned Ireland and Scotland en route to topping Pool A unbeaten and reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, rising to an all-time high of sixth in the world rankings. Rugby is far from the most popular sport in Japan, but fans have come out in numbers -- and watched on TV in their millions -- for the first World Cup held in Asia.