New Zealand vs France, South Africa vs Wales: Relive Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final action

Relive all the action from Twickenham and Cardiff
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Jack de Menezes17 October 2015

Captain Fourie du Preez dived over in the left corner with five minutes to lead South Africa to a 23-19 win over Wales in an enthralling World Cup quarterfinal at Twickenham.

The lead changed six times in a match in which 79,500 spectators dared not leave their seats, and it took a moment of brilliance to finally separate the teams.

With the scrum feed, South Africa wheeled it toward the left touchline. No. 8 Duane Vermuelen picked up at the back and broke away with the ball and drew replacement scrumhalf Lloyd Williams and winger Alex Cuthbert.

Du Preez, who had been standing on the open side, suddenly came into view and received a back pass from Vermuelen and a free, curving sprint into the corner.

The try wasn't converted, but Wales needed a try to win, and didn't look like getting it in the last minutes, pinned in their own half.

In the evening game, defending champion New Zealand crushed France 62-13 to record the biggest-ever winning margin in a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, with left winger Julian Savea scoring three of the All Blacks' nine tries.

The margin eclipsed the previous record quarter-final win when South Africa thrashed Samoa 42-14 in 1995.

The All Blacks will play South Africa in the semi-finals and, on this form, will take some stopping.

Replacement scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow came off the bench to cap the win with two late tries.

The other tries came from lock Brodie Retallick and Nehe Milner-Skudder in the first half, and No. 8 Kieran Read and Jerome Kaino in the second.

No. 8 Louis Picamoles got France's lone try in the first half and was sin-binned early into the second half.

Relive all the action from another enthralling day of rugby in the blog below…

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