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GALWAY, Ireland - South Africa stuttered to a narrow 18-3 win over Irish provincial rugby side Connacht in Galway on Wednesday (NZ time).
Fresh from last week's 105-13 hammering of fellow World Cup team Nambia, the Boks laboured against the weakest of the four Irish teams which won only four games from 20 in last season's Celtic League.
The sole score of the first-half came after just two minutes when Butch James, playing in the centres to accommodate Ruan Pienaar at five eighth, fired over a penalty from in front of the posts.
South African winger Ashwin Willemse then crossed for a try four minutes into the second-half, during which both sides made a raft of replacements.
Replacement No 8 Jacques Cronje scored South Africa's second try after 68 minutes, and James this time made no mistake with the conversion.
A penalty three minutes from Andre Pretorius sealed the Boks' unconvincing win.
South Africa, who are grouped in Pool A with England, Samoa, the United States and Tonga, will now face Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday in their final warm-up game before their opening World Cup clash on September 9 against the Samoans.
- AFP
