Two-time World Cup winner and No. 3 South Africa begins its quest for the country’s third title this coming Saturday in Brighton. Expected to dominate the rest of their competition in Pool B, the Springboks gets a light opponent in the form of Japan’s Brave Blossoms. Will South Africa open up its campaign with a soul-crushing victory over Japan? Or will the team from the land of the rising sun send shockwaves across the rugby world with a massive upset of the Springboks?
Read on for a brief rundown of this matchup. You can also click here for an overview of England vs. vs. Fiji.
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South Africa vs. Japan Preview
Where: American Express Community Stadium, Brighton
[sc:Other240banner ]South Africa (+650) has its sights set on becoming the winningest nation in the 28-year-old tourney. (South Africa is tied with New Zealand and Australia with two Webb Ellis Cups.)
Similar to England, the Springboks are itching to get a better result this time around after being bounced out in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup. They will have an easy test to kick off their campaign, as Springboks battle Japan in Day 1.
At the forefront of South Africa’s attack is hooker Bismarck Du Plessis, who has played 73 matches for the Springboks. Thus far in his international career, Plessis has scored nine tries. Another South African to watch out for against Japan is Handre Pollard, who’s considered as among the next stars of the team. In 13 international matches played, the 21-year-old fly-half has scored three tries and has 20 total conversions.
South Africa enters the World Cup in a shaky form, having lost four of its last five matches. That said, the Springboks managed to win their most recent tilt, beating Argentina in Buenos Aires on August 15, 26-12.
Japan, which carries astronomical odds of +100,000 to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup, is the undisputed king in Asia but has always been reduced to being a minnow in the global stage. The Japanese has never gotten out of the pool stages since joining the tournament in 1987. Moreover, they only have one tournament win to show—a victory over Zimbabwe way back in 1991.
Despite Japan’s failures in the past, the Brave Blossoms are not one to be grossly underestimated. Japan is on some kind of a roll, winning all of its last three matches. That includes back-to-back wins against Top 20 squads in Uruguay (40-0) and Georgia (13-10). Furthermore, the Brave Blossoms also defeated No. 18 Canada, 20-6, back in July during this year’s edition of the Pacific Nations Cup.
Japan also breaks in a new coach in Eddie Jones, who believes his team can make the quarterfinals. Jones served as the head coach of superpower Australia from 2001 to 2005.
On the field, Japan will rely on the likes of Michael Leitch, Hendrik Tui, and Fumiaki Tanaka, who all have experiences playing in topnotch leagues in Australia and New Zealand. Since 2008, Leitch has scored 11 tries across 43 matches for Japan.
