Japan prepared for physical battle against Springboks
‘Never again’ – SA looking to eradicate Brighton memories
TOKYO, Oct 19, (RTRS): Japan will focus on playing their own brand of rugby against the physical game of South Africa in Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final, the hosts’ attack coach Tony Brown said on Saturday.
The Springboks, under coach Rassie Erasmus, have returned to their traditional strengths at the set-piece and attempt to dominate opponents in the forwards.
Brown does not expect that to change on Sunday.
“I think there’s only one thing they’re going to do and that’s come and physically intimidate us,” Brown told reporters.
“A messy game is what they’re good at, they’re hard to stop when they get forward dominance. Our challenge is to play our game and try to entice them into playing some Japanese rugby.” South Africa won the tactical battle by a wide margin when the two sides last met, the Springboks beating Japan 41-7 in a World Cup warm-up match last month.
But then the hosts notched up four wins from as many matches to win their pool and Brown said the warm-up against South Africa was no longer relevant.
“It was a warm-up game, both teams had different things in mind around preparing for the World Cup,” Brown said. “We definitely played a style of game that wasn’t around playing for South Africa, it was around playing for the World Cup.
“I don’t think the game is going to have any effect on what happens tomorrow (Sunday).” One Japanese player who could be the target of the far larger Springboks is diminutive scrumhalf Yutaka Nagare, who stands at just 165 centimetres tall.
Nagare said he was ready for the challenge.
“They will come at us head-on,” said Nagare. “We know, as you can see from their line-up, they’ll look to make it a forward battle, play a physical game.
“We need to fight properly there of course but it’s important to play the ball smartly and make it a quick battle.” “I think I’ll definitely lose if I go head-on,” he added. “I have to use my technique given I’m small ... and I feel they’ll look to attack me in the next game, as well as near the try-line.
“But I’ve decided to go in determined to play with pride for this team. I’ll keep my mind strong. I’ll take them on carrying both mind and technique.” The build-up to Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final between Japan and South Africa has inevitably been dominated by talk of the Brave Blossoms’ famous win over the Springboks in Brighton four years ago.
Japan, under coach Eddie Jones, shocked the rugby world when Karne Hasketh scored a last-minute try to beat South Africa 34-32 in the England 2015 pool stages. It was a result that put Japan on the map and embarrassed South Africa, despite them going on to reach the semifinals.
South Africa gained a certain measure of revenge with an emphatic 41-7 win over Japan in a World Cup warmup last month but knocking the hosts out of their own tournament would be the perfect remedy for four years of hurt.
“It was very tough to lose like that in England, that has stuck with us until the game we had to play when we got here,” Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, who was on the bench that day in 2015, said on Friday. “It is something obviously we never want to go through again.
“It was good to play that game before the World Cup just to get that monkey off our back.” Japan go into the match high on confidence having won all four of their matches so far.
“Now it is a different ballgame again, it is playoffs, so we are going to have to be at our best again,” added Kolisi.
“They have really improved as a team. They are a much better team than they were four years ago.” Handre Pollard is another who remembers how painful that defeat was.
“Us, as a group and the guys that were part of that in 2015, certainly learned from the mistakes that we made and hopefully we can improve on that going into this playoff series,” the flyhalf said.
“But it is not a big focus. We just focus on Japan and playing our best rugby on Sunday and winning, whether it is by one point or whatever, you have just got to win.” South Africa have won the World Cup twice and so, unlike their opponents who are making their debut in the knockout stage, the Springboks know what it takes to win these big matches.
“It is not like any other test match. It is playoff time now,” said Kolisi.
“We have prepared for a normal test match but us as players know what we need to do and what is needed to be done.