Boks must be wary of Wembley ambush by dangerous Japan

A psyched-up Japanese team will be gunning to turn the rugby world on its head and ambush the Springboks at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, South Africa assistant coach Jerry Flannery has cautioned his team.

He warned the Boks would have to be wary against a dangerous Brave Blossoms outfit who had their tails up after pushing Australia all the way before losing 19-15 in Tokyo last Saturday.

“Japan showed resilience in the first half despite the yellow cards, and they showed how well they can defend against one of the best sides,” Flannery said.

“Australia scored six tries against us in the first game in the Rugby Championship, so we are aware that Japan are not just a good attacking side; they can defend well too.

“In the last quarter, they came back into the game, and they would be disappointed that they didn’t win.

“I’m expecting Eddie Jones [Japan’s head coach] will be building up his team all week, and they’ll believe they can win and write history by beating the Boks at Wembley.

“We are aware of their mindset coming into this game, meaning we need to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be.”

After the Wembley clash, South Africa face Tests against France at Stade de France in Paris (November 8), Italy at Juventus Stadium in Turin (November 15), Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin (November 22) and Wales at Principality Stadium in Cardiff (November 29).

Flannery said the five-match European tour will provide a strong test for the Boks.

“It’s a great challenge for us. You have a bit more of a runway coming into the Rugby Championship with a training week before you play, and you face the same team the next week, so there isn’t much to change.

“But for this tour, we have five different opponents from week to week, and that is how the World Cup will work as well, with a short turnaround between matches, so your ability to stay mentally fresh and keep bringing energy all the time will be good for us.”

Flannery was impressed with Wembley Stadium when a few teammates attended the Rugby League match between England and Australia last week.

“A few of our Japanese-based players who arrived earlier in the week watched a league game at Wembley Stadium, and the pitch looks quite fast, which could suit the Japanese players who want to play fast rugby.

“That said, it looks like a good pitch to play on, so I think it will be a good contest. The stadium is amazing, and it was a good game to watch and also to get a feeling for the stadium and how it is over there.”

Bok loose forward Kwagga Smith, who plays club rugby in Japan for the Shizuoka Blue Revs, said the tour presents South Africa a good opportunity to measure themselves against five opposition teams.

“Five matches are a lot, but it’s a great challenge for the squad because we need to be on form every weekend.

“All the Test matches will be tough, not just France and Ireland. But that’s where we want to be. We want to measure ourselves and perform well as a team.”

With the iconic stadium boasting a hybrid pitch, Smith said though he had never played on such a surface, many of his teammates had in the United Rugby Championship and know what to expect.

“A lot of URC teams have played on hybrid pitches and also in the Premiership, so it may be different for us this week, but that will help going into the match.

“After the Rugby Championship, the Japanese-based players had time off, and then we flew to London last Tuesday, so we had a few days of training, and we are looking forward to the match and playing against Japan.”

The Herald