Japan is waltzing at an oval ball. South Africa spent the first week of the tournament preparing for their opening match against New Zealand, enjoying relative anonymity but when they arrived at their Shinjuku hotel on Monday evening they realised as soon as they stepped off the coach they were in a different World Cup.
Such was the clamour for their opening media conference in the buildup to the quarter-final against Japan at Tokyo Stadium on Sunday that a new, larger room on their hotel’s banqueting floor had to be hastily furnished. It was all rather different to when they were based in the city’s Disney resort and two dozen chairs were more than was needed.
“You can feel the vibe,” said the South Africa coach, Rassie Erasmus, whose wing Cheslin Kolbe is fit to play on Sunday. “They are excited about it and they should be because their team is doing well. It is not a surprise they are in the quarter-finals. After we played them last month, I said I thought they would be first or second in their pool. They are up to seventh in the world rankings and we know we are in for a very tough game.”
When South Africa last prepared to play Japan in a World Cup, their opponents had won only one match in seven tournaments, against Zimbabwe in 1991. Their victory against Scotland on Sunday was their sixth in a row but the catalyst for the remarkable improvement came that day in Brighton in September 2015 when the Springboks, winners for the second time only eight years before, became the victims of the game’s greatest act of giant-killing.
Erasmus, however, believes the Brighton game has no relevance now after the 41-7 victory in Kumagaya last month. “The reason for that warm‑up was to erase the 2015 game so that if we got them in the knockouts that day would not be mentioned,” he said. “It is 1-1 now. Brighton is in the past. Both teams have improved since last month and it will be interesting to see how each of us handles the pressure of expectation on Sunday.”
South Africa, like all the teams, have been overwhelmed by the courtesy of their hosts wherever they have played. “It has been the best experience of my long career,” said the prop Tendai Mtawarira, who made his Test debut 11 years ago. The warmth of a welcoming people has made us feel at home. They are great hosts whose team has been playing well. It will be massive on Sunday.”
Asked if he relished his side gatecrashing what has become some party, Erasmus replied: “It is really tough not to like Japanese people. The way they have adopted teams, putting on your jersey and being so welcoming, is something I have never experienced in my life before and is really special. The way they handled the typhoon, and condolences from the Springboks go to all those who lost loved ones, shows their strength.
“Saying that, we are playing for our country and want to win the World Cup. Japan is the enemy but only for the next week. We love the country and the people but we have to try to beat them. What has really impressed me about their team is the way they have handled the pressure. They are a very well coached team who adapt to the opposition they are playing. They play to their strengths and your weaknesses, which makes them a very tough opponent.”
Japan’s initial target was to make the knockout stage for the first time but their captain, Michael Leitch, said that after four wins out of four they would now not regard that achievement as good enough. “It is scary to think how far we have grown since 2011,” he said.
“Confidence is building and we really felt the support of the fans during the victory over Scotland. The goal is not here and we are preparing to beat South Africa. We will fight to win to create more history for Japan. We have got used to pressure and what is important is what is ahead of us.”
