AFP/London


New Zealand supporters at Twickenham voiced euphoric relief after their close victory over South Africa in the World Cup semi-final, saying the tight, dying stages were “absolute murder”.
The atmosphere was electric when the game entered a deafening last 10 minutes as New Zealand held on to their 20-18 lead, both sets of fans feeling the tension and roaring their teams on.
“It was a stunning game. I thought we dominated it.
“We were all over them, territory-wise and we deserved to win,” said New Zealander Alan Kennedy, 62, from Hamilton.
“However, it was a cliff-hanger. They could have won right up until the end. “The last 20 minutes was absolute murder. You can only enjoy it when the final whistle blows. Now I feel euphoric. I’m elated but I’m too drained to drink!”
London-based Tim Roest, 33, originally from New Zealand’s North Island, said he was feeling “relief. Pure relief”.
“It was an incredibly tight game. Both sides deserved to win. It was intense. I was counting down the clock the whole time. Full credit to South Africa, they never gave up, but scoring tries made the difference,” he said. “It’s amazing to get to the final.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s 94-year-old husband Prince Philip was among the 80,090 in the packed home of English rugby. Planes heading into nearby London Heathrow Airport flew low over the ground and one incoming set of passengers got quite a show as the teams ran out, with fireworks shooting out of the stadium roof.
South Africa formed a line to face the New Zealand haka war dance, again the Kapa o Pango version reserved for their bigger matches, while Springboks fans sang throughout.
In the first half, New Zealanders were in better voice, with chants of “All Blacks! All Blacks” ringing round the stadium.
Springboks fans roared into life in the 34th minute when wrongly they thought JP Pietersen was clean through to score a stunning try. And five minutes later they were cheering again when New Zealand’s Jerome Kaino was sin-binned. Pollard scored the resulting penalty, giving Springboks fans a 12-7 lead to contemplate at half-time.
“I’m very impressed, very happy with the way it’s gone,” said Steve from Johannesburg, as he held two pints of lager. “But I think the All Blacks have a few tricks up their sleeves.”
All Blacks fan John, from Christchurch, said: “We’re five points behind and if it was any other team, you’d think the Boks have got this done.”
After a Dan Carter drop goal, New Zealand fans screamed for a try as the All Blacks inched closer to the South African line and were greatly relieved when replacement Beauden Barrett touched down, putting New Zealand ahead.
It was only then that South Africans filled the stands with chants of “Bokke! Bokke!” as Handre Pollard and his replacement Patrick Lambie’s kicking kept them in the contest.
In a thrilling, tight last 10 minutes, New Zealand retained possession and ground out a victory, their fans jumping to their feet at the final whistle.
Dino de Voti, from Cape Town, heading out into the rainy night, said he had not even expected South Africa to reach the semi-finals “with such a young side”.
“We’re looking towards Japan 2019,” he said, already anticipating the next World Cup.
 “It was a very tight game, as expected. The best side won. But the Boks were heroic. It was nail-biting at the end. But it’s always like that against the All Blacks. Lose the game, win the party.”

Springboks supporters in Johannesburg watch their team take on New Zealand All Blacks in the World Cup semi-final. (AFP)