South Africa’s veterans, such as 2007 World Cup winner Schalk Burger, will be seeking to avoid a second historic defeat within months when they open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Pool B rivals Japan today.
The two-time World Cup winners enter the tournament on the back of a poor Rugby Championship, which included a first-ever defeat by Argentina.
Japan are first up for the Springboks before in theory a bone-jarring clash with Samoa, followed by a much-improved Scotland and then the US.
Photo: EPA
Burger has great admiration for Japan accrued since he moved to play his club rugby there for Suntory Sungoliath.
He particularly praised their effective use of the chop tackle where the player throws his arms around an advancing rivals legs.
“The Japanese are adept at the chop tackle below the knees,” 32-year-old Burger said. “That’s something we’re not too familiar with and they play the game at a very high tempo.”
“We’ll have to get used to the speed. We won’t underestimate them. They’re a tough bunch of competitors and Eddie Jones is one of the best coaches in the world,” he said.
Indeed Jones — who is to leave his post at the end of the campaign — knows several of the Springboks well as he was part of the coaching staff in the successful 2007 campaign in France.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has acknowledged the awkward threat posed by the Japan XV.
“We play against the big teams from the Southern and Northern Hemisphere quite often, and with them it’s mostly a case of you know what to expect, but Japan will pose a different threat,” Meyer said. “Our players who play in Japan have warned us to expect a very high tempo game and good, low tackling to stop momentum.”
However, Meyer knows deep down that nothing less than a huge win over Japan — who for all their bravura and enthusiasm have yet to make an impact on the tournament — would heap the pressure on him and his side.
He has taken no chances with the starting lineup, naming the most experienced ever, led by center Jean de Villiers, with 880 caps to their name, 44 more than the previous mark set when South Africa played Australia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
For 34-year-old De Villiers — who has made a remarkable recovery from a serious knee injury and a broken jaw — the pressure is immense, as he was labeled a “carthorse” for his performance in the defeat against Argentina.
However, Meyer believes his players will answer the call.
“The players know that nothing but their best will be good enough on Saturday and we realize the importance of starting the World Cup on a good note, but having said that, we also know that there is no such thing as an easy game in rugby any more and they will be just as fired up as us,” he said.
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