Preview: South Africa v Japan
Imagine you were Eddie Jones, clever Eddie Jones, cunning coach Eddie Jones.
You would be looking forward to this match with all your being – no fear, just hand rubbing anticipation, mouth-watering enthusiasm.
You cannot lose, but you could also set your side on the way to achieving its ambition of reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in seven tries.
The 55-year-old, Tasmania-born son of a Japanese mother, a former school principal, has been coaching since 1994 when he gave up teaching.
A former hooker for Randwick and New South Wales, he has coached in Australia, Japan, England and South Africa where he is due back to take over the Stormers after the World Cup.
He has coached two national sides, Australia and Japan, and was an assistant to Jake White at the 2007 World Cup.
He knows the South African way of doing things. Besides Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield, Ruan Pienaar and JP Pietersen are back in the Springbok team this year. Besides Burger, Du Preez and Pietersen play club rugby in Japan, Burger and Du Preez for Suntory Sungoliath, Jones's club.
Jones, shrewd and experienced coach, will know his way around the Springboks.
By the same token the Springboks will know their way around Jones, especially Burger, Du Preez and Pietersen. In the Japan squad there are six club-mates of Burger and Du Preez and four teammates of JP Pietersen at Wild Knights.
South Africa and Japan have never played each other but there are plenty of points of contact and the possibility of inside knowledge.
If teams like England and New Zealand find the Springboks physically tough, imagine how the Japanese will find them even if the Brave Blossoms are determined to stand firm.
The Japanese will try to compensate by playing quickly and they are nippy and brave, but look along the Springbok backs and they are no slouches either, not exactly plodders.
The Japanese have become adept at keeping possession, play through multiple phases but that is not such a virtue as most times it is a case of 'the more phases, the smaller the likelihood of a try. One would have thought that they would be better with surprise, snapping up unconsidered trifles.
The Springboks on the other hand will not be shy to use their physical strength and laws that look favourably on those who would maul.
The Japanese counter to size will be the old-fashioned belief that the bigger they are the harder they fall. They will use the 'chop tackle', not a rabbit punch but a low (= below the waist) tackle in the sensible belief that a man cannot run without legs.
Even little Fumiaki Tanaka will, be expected to chop down tall Springboks.
And they will hope for pace from the half of their pack that comes from lower down the Pacific – Hendrik Tui (Australia) and New Zealanders Michael Leitch, Michael Broadhurst and Luke Thompson.
Tui was a wing till recently. Presumably he is to add speed to the Japanese in the belief that they can gain by being faster than the heavier South Africans.
The Springboks have declared that they will mix up their game as they settle to a pattern that they hope will win them the World Cup – taking opportunities when they are on secure offer and resorting to guarded tactics if danger lurks.
The Springbok team is the most experienced of all time with 880 caps in the starting XV.
Japan have countered this by picking an older side than usual with five players over 30 and an average age of just under 30.
South African can beat that with nine players over 30 but also an average age of just under 30. Japan have a record 574 caps, South Africa a record 880. The Springboks are more experienced, i.e. older!
Players to Watch:
For South Africa The young backs, Patrick Lambie at flyhalf and outside centre Jesse Kriel, who has had a wonderful year. In the pack there are the two tall locks – Victor Matfield at 2,01 metres and Lood de Jager at 2,06 metres, Matfield on 123 caps at 38 and De Jager on 12 caps at 22, the only forward under the age of 30. De Jager has been splendid about the field.
For Japan: There is perky little Fumiaki Tanaka with the impish face though he is now 30 years of age – an excellent, lively, quick-service scrumhalf. Then there is their poker-faced fullback Ayumu Goromaru in his 11th year with the national side. In the pack there is tough lock Hitoshi Ono, who is sure his team will not flinch. Flyhalf Kosei Ono is Fourie du Preez's halfback partner in club rugby. He went to New Zealand when he was three and was schooled at Christchurch Boys' High which numbers Andrew Mehrtens and Dan Carter amongst its Old Boys, before going back to Japan. His tactical nous is excellent.
Head to head: There is always an important contest between the front rows but it's hard to see the battle hardened men from KwaZulu-Natal buckling against Japan. There is an interesting match-up in the second row where the oldest and most capped players in each side are immediate opponents – Victor Matfield and 95-capped Hitoshi Ono, shorter but determined. At scrumhalf lively Fumiaki Tanaka is like to harass more stately Ruan Pienaar which could have an effect on the flyhalf battle between experienced Kosei Ono and younger but faster Patrick Lambie. The battle for the post-tackle ball is vital. Here the Japanese may clear more quickly than the Springboks, who will rely heavily on Francois Louw.
Recent Results.
There are no results at all between the two sides but they have both had recent matches this year – Japan in the Asian Championship and the Pacific Nations Cup. The Springboks, who went from Super Rugby matches to the Rugby Championship. The Springboks have undoubtedly played at a higher level and not done well but then neither did the Japanese who managed just one win in the Pacific Nations Cup
South African results
South Africa v Argentina: won 26-12 in Buenos Aires
South Africa v Argentina: lost 25-37 in Durban
South Africa v New Zealand: lost 20-27 in Johannesburg
South Africa v Australia: lost 20-24 in Brisbane
Japanese results
Japan v Korea: won 66-10 in Fukuoka
Japan v Hong Kong: 3-0 when the match was abandoned for heavy rain in Hong Kong
Japan v Canada: won 20-6 in San José
Japan v USA: lost 18-23 in Sacrament
Japan v Fiji: lost 22-27 in Toronto
Japan v Tonga: lost 21-30 in Burnaby
Japan v Uruguay: won 30-8 in Fukuoka
Japan v Uruguay: won 40-0 in Tokyo
Japan v World XV: lost 20-45 in Tokyo
Japan v Georgia: won 13-10 in Gloucester
World Cup Achievements: Japan have won one match – back in 1991. South Africa have won two titles and have the best record at World Cups.
Prediction: It's an oval ball, anything can happen, upsets are a part of history and so on, but one cannot but foresee a Springbok victory by more than 40 points. South Africa are currently ranked third, Japan 13th.
Teams
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Schalk Burger, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Fourie du Preez, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 JP Pietersen.
Japan: 15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Akihito Yamada, 13 Male Sa'u, 12 Craig Wing, 11 Kotaro Matsushima, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Hendrik Tui, 7 Michael Broadhurst, 6 Michael Leitch (captain), 5 Hitoshi Ono, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Masataka Mikami
Replacements: 16 Takeshi Kizu, 17 Keita Inagaki, 18 Hiroshi Yamashita, 19 Shinya Makabe, 20 Amanaki Mafi, 21 Atsushi Hiwasa, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Karne Hesketh
Date: Saturday, September 19
Venue: Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
Kick-off: 16.45 (17.45 SA time; 15.45 GMT; 00.45 Sunday, September 20, Japan time)
Expected weather: Partly cloudy with a high of 18°C, dropping to 9°C. No rain is forecast.
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: JP Doyle (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
By Paul Dobson
@rugby365com
