South Africa captain Bongi Mbonambi admits they kept things “simple” in their 76-0 hammering of Romania in their Rugby World Cup Pool B match in Bordeaux.

Half a scrum Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi, who played on the wing, each scored three tries.

“We just kept it simple, we stick to our plan, we kept it tight,” the hooker said.

“All respect to Romania. They’re tough in contact, full of pride and we knew it was going to be difficult,” he added.

Malcolm Marx had to be taken out of the game because of a knee problem, so Mbonambi took his place in the starting lineup.

On Saturday, assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said that fly-half Handre Pollard and front rower Joseph Dweba were both in the running to replace Marx.

Manie Libbok is the only specialist stand-off in the team. Fullback Damian Willemse played an hour in the No. 10 shirt against Romania, but he missed two of seven conversions.

“The decision on the replacement will happen tonight,” South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber said.

“We didn’t want to discuss it.

“We’ll have a look at things from a fitness point of view then decide about who we will call up,” Nienaber added.

Mbonambi led his country in a World Cup game for the first time. He took over for the game from Siya Kolisi, who had been the captain for a long time.

“It’s a milestone in my career but it’s never about one person in this team — we’re all doing it for the Springbok jersey.”

Prop Vincent Koch left the game because he hurt his knee while warming up.

“Unfortunately he hobbled in the warm-up,” Nienaber said.

“I have no idea how bad it is,” he added.

Romania, which is ranked 17th in the world, had only played South Africa twice before.

Their biggest tournament every year is the second-tier Rugby Europe Championship, and their first two pool games have shown just how far behind the top level they are.

Ireland, which is ranked number one in the world, beat them 82-8 in Bordeaux last week.

“Of course we need to play at a higher level,” their head coach Eugen Apjok said.

“It makes a difference. All the tier 2 nations need more games each year because it’s crucial to be prepared for such games,” he added.

Ireland, who won the Six Nations Grand Slam, will be the next team Nienaber’s team plays on Saturday in Paris. This match could decide who comes out on top of the pool.

In the quarterfinals, the two qualifiers from the group are likely to play hosts France and three-time winners New Zealand.

“We couldn’t think about Ireland because it was disrespectful to Romania,” Nienaber said.

“We’re only at the halfway point of the group.

“Destiny will decide who we will play in the quarter-final,” he added.