SOUTH Africa are back. After the shock loss to Japan, they needed a big performance to get their Rugby World Cup campaign on track again, and they got it with a convincing bonus-point win that takes them to the top of Pool B.

Scotland can go back ahead of the Springboks today with either a draw or any sort of win against the United States. But, with bonus points looking more important than ever in such a tight group, they will aim for the four tries or more that would take them on to ten points in the table. The South Africans, who picked up two points from their opening-game defeat, now have seven.

The difference between this Springboks team and last week’s sorry bunch was laid bare within the opening 30 seconds. Against Japan the South Africans were sluggish, and complacent enough to run kickable penalties: here they exploded into action from kick-off, and when the Samoan defence offended, Handre Pollard had no hesitation in taking the three points.

The fly-half was one of eight changes to the starting line-up, but there was more than an alteration of personnel: the Springboks’ whole approach was far more assertive as they sought to atone for that humiliation at the hands of Japan. Samoa are the last team to be cowed by such aggression, and they drew ahead through two Michael Stanley penalties, the first a simple, close-range effort, the other from around 45 metres.

That was after a dozen minutes, but the lead did not last. Usually so patient at driving their way forward, Samoa tried to force the issue with a needlessly risky move up the left that saw a floated Stanley pass picked off by JP Pietersen. Even without a head start, the winger has the beating of most opponents for speed, but with one he is unstoppable, and he had no problem in racing 80m to claim the first try of the game. Pollard missed the conversion, but was soon on target with two more penalties to stretch his team’s lead to 14-6.

As you would expect, Samoa put in some stupendously big hits, many of them legal. But at times they indulged their old vice of trying to prove how tough they were rather than seeking the most effective way to defend. They were lucky not to be a man down for the closing stages of the first half when Alesana Tuilagi dived into a ruck and appeared to make head-to-head contact with Eben Etzebeth: referee Wayne Barnes awarded a penalty against them when a yellow card could easily have been shown.

Notwithstanding those disciplinary lapses, the islanders continued to play adventurously, but they went further behind to another three points from Pollard just before the break. Masterfully orchestrated by scrum-half Fourie du Preez, South Africa were clinical and precise, and fully merited their 17-6 half-time lead - although they too might have seen yellow on the brink of the break when Pietersen caught Tuilagi high after the Samoan winger had kicked ahead.

The former World Cup winners dominated the third quarter, and got its first score when, after sustained pressure, Pietersen dotted down in the right corner for a try which Pollard converted. Before the hour was up, a similar offensive bore fruit in a more central position, with Du Preez providing the pass from which Schalk Burger barged his way over from the five-metre line. With three tries on the board, the race was on for the fourth that would produce the bonus point, though with 20 minutes still to play South Africa were in no need of speeding things up.

Samoa thought they had come back into the contest when a spectacular long-range passing move ended in a touchdown, but the TMO chalked off the score for a forward pass. Before that moved they had seemed out of the running for some time: although unsuccessful, it was therefore a reminder to Scotland that the Samoans, even when defeat looks inevitable, will always produce moments of defiance.

It was also a reminder to South Africa that they had to get back on the attack and grab that fourth try - and they succeeded with ten minutes to spare, with Schalk Brits being credited with the pushover score barely a minute after coming off the bench.

Pietersen completed his hat-trick with a few minutes to go, again scoring in the right corner. Then Bryan Habana made it six tries in stoppage time with a race down the left past the shredded remnants of the Samoan defence.

SOUTH AFRICA: Tries: Pietersen 3, Burger, Brits., Habana. Cons: Pollard, Lambie. Pens: Pollard 4.

SAMOA: Pens: Stanley 2.

South Africa: W le Roux; JP Pietersen, J de Villiers (P Lambie 72), D de Allende (J Kriel 49), B Habana; H Pollard, F du Preez (R Pienaar 74); T Mtawarira (T Nyakane 62), A Strauss (S Brits 68), J du Plessis (F Malherbe 54), E Etzebeth, V Matfield (L de Jager 55), F Louw, S Burger (S Kolisi 68), D Vermeulen.

Samoa: T Nanai-Williams; K Pisi, P Perez, R Lee-Lo, A Tuilagi (G Pisi 66); M Stanley (T Pisi 54), K Fotuali’i (V Afemai 74); S Taulafo (V Afatia 63), M Matu’u (O Avei 52), C Johnston ( A Perenise 52), F Paulo, J Tekori (F Levave 47), TJ Ioane, J Lam, O Treviranus (V Tuilagi 71).

Referee: W Barnes (England). Attendance: 39,526.