Springbok captain Siya Kolisi praised his team for chasing "lost causes" after they came from behind to beat hosts France 29-28 and secure a place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.
South Africa trailed 22-19 at half-time and had Eben Etzebeth off the field for the opening eight minutes of the second half for a yellow card, but they prevented France from capitalizing and won the match in Paris by the narrowest of margins.
"We scrambled a lot, especially when we were short of numbers," said Kolisi. "We talk about chasing lost causes. Don't stop until they put the ball down over the tryline ... That's what we do as a team. Never give up."
The Springboks edged in front thanks to replacement fly-half Handre Pollard's second-half points, setting up a last-four meeting with England.
"It was an amazing game," said Kolisi. "It flowed, it was tough, physical."
Kolisi, who is looking to repeat the triumph of 2019, said the Boks prepared for the noise and atmosphere of taking on the hosts in their own backyard by using speakers in training.
But he gave credit to the hosts, especially "incredible" captain Antoine Dupoint who returned to the lineup after suffering a fractured cheekbone.
England needed to dig deep and find a way to beat a spirited Fiji in their quarter-final.
They led 24-10 in Marseille, but two quick tries from the Pacific Islanders closed the gap. The cool head of captain Owen Farrell put England back on top with a drop-goal and a penalty in a 30-24 win.
"These players were written off," England coach Steve Borthwick said. "A lot of people said we wouldn't get out of the pool. We got out of the pool, now we got out of the quarter-final. I am sure we will be written off again, but these players rise to the occasion."
