Four tries and a 100 per cent kicking effort from flyhalf Lionel Cronje led South Africa’s Southern Kings to a rare win as they beat Japanese franchise the Sunwolves 37-23 at the National Stadium in Singapore.

An early breakaway try from Rudi van Rooyen gave the South African strugglers a good start and they were ahead 17-7 at halftime after Chris Cloete added a second try.

Ruan Lerm and speedster Malcolm Jaer added further scores for the Kings while Cronje kicked three penalties and four conversions, but they missed out on a bonus point when the Sunwolves scored two late tries through Kenki Fukuoaka and Takaaki Nakazura.