South Africa comfortably held off Scotland in Newcastle to take over at the top of World Cup Pool B.

Schalk Burger and JP Pietersen crashed over in a first half dominated by the powerful Springboks.

The Scots struggled to make inroads until a Duncan Weir interception led to a thrilling Tommy Seymour try.

But the cool kicking of Handre Pollard kept South Africa at a safe distance and Bryan Habana added a late score to reflect the gulf in quality.

The Springboks, twice World Cup winners, signalled that their campaign is back on track with a bludgeoning display of brute force after their shock opening loss to Japan.

Scotland now look ahead to next weekend's clash with Samoa, knowing victory will see them through to the quarter-finals.

(BBC)