When the Springboks take on Japan at Wembley Stadium, the experience of playing in Japan Rugby League One will be essential in cracking the code.
South Africa has several players who are currently playing their trade in Japan. Some of the notables include current SA Rugby Player of the Year, Cheslin Kolbe, World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit, along with the likes of Kwagga Smith, Damian De Allende and other prominent members of the squad.
As the days build up to the event, coach Rassie Erasmus is under no illusion that the game has evolved dramatically in the Asian country since their last shock defeat to their opponents at the 2015 World Cup.
A reminder of that opening match is a topic that has come up quite a lot in recent days. This is why Rassie Erasmus plans to ensure that history is not repeated.
Japan-based Springboks receive game time
Speaking at a recent press conference, the Springbok mentor hinted that his recent selection of Japan-based players could work in his favour.
“We organised this game specifically for the guys who play in Japan. It is because they would not have played a lot of rugby if they didn’t play a lot of test matches for us.
“I think there are eleven or twelve guys, including Manie (Libbok), who play in the Japanese league.”
Rassie added that in the past, the Springboks would often find themselves struggling to find a good start to the season because of the Japan-based players who might not have had enough game time.
Meanwhile, the bulk of those players have now been included, with Pieter-Steph and Faf de Klerk being the exception.
Kurt-lee is excited to dazzle against Japan
Someone who is all too familiar with the psyche of the Japanese is Kurt-lee Arendse. The Bulls winger was part of the Rugby Championship campaign earlier this year but was unable to continue the tournament because of injury.
Like his teammates, the 29-year-old has experienced playing in Japan Rugby League One after having represented Sagamihara Dynaboars last season.
Reflecting on his time abroad, he added that the game is slightly different to the physicality experienced back home.
“Just to see how they do things that side and how they want to play the game, helped me a lot,” he said.
“We know they want to play fast rugby. For us, as outside backs, we love that. I think we (Springboks) should just remain focused on what we want to achieve.”
Arendse praised the work that coach Eddie Jones and his coaching staff have put into evolving the Japanese game. He adds that in the last few days, Japanese-based players have poured a lot of their knowledge into preparing the squad for what was coming.
