There was no mistaking South Africa's intentions as they named their team to face Japan on Sunday a day early: utter forward domination.
Rassie Erasmus has picked a monster pack and put just two backs on his bench.
Japan have been the stars of their home tournament, spreading the ball wide with real pace, and will be looking to repeat the “Miracle of Brighton” from four years ago.
Tendai Mtawarira and Bongi Mbonambi are preferred to Steven Kitshoff and Malcolm Marx in the front row, while Pieter-Steph du Toit, who is 6ft 5ins, starts on the flank.
Erasmus said Mbonambi was in because he is “a more physical, brutal, scrummaging, in-your-face hooker”.
Regarding his team's aims, Erasmus added: "To nullify the space around the tight forwards, with the pace that they have.
“And the third one is to play towards our strengths, which is physical rugby, set-phases, mauling, scrums.
"If you look at our team selection, we’ve gone with the six-two split, which a lot of people will think we will be pretty forward-orientated, and try to dominate.
"That is true in one sense, but in another sense, the way Japan play, they do exploit your tired and bigger forward defenders late in the first and second half.
"We tend to think that in our team selection, having two fresh packs of tight forwards, we might nullify the space that they might try to use during the game.”
