Psyched up Japan will be good test for Springboks, says assistant coach Flannery

Springbok assistant coach Jerry Flannery said the Springboks are expecting Japan to be champing at the bit when the sides meet at Wembley on Saturday in London, in the opening match of the South Africans’ five-week November tour.

The Bok defence coach added that the main focus area for the team after the Rugby Championship will be to control their play better.

Next week, the Springboks play France in Paris, followed by Italy in Turin (November 15), Ireland in Dublin (November 22), and Wales in Cardiff (November 29). Japan are coming off a narrow 19-15 defeat to the Wallabies in Tokyo, and Flannery is wary of the threat posed by the men from the Land of the Rising Sun.

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

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

Flannery also expects Japan to enter the match with the mindset that they can create an upset against the Boks.

Japan coach Eddie Jones wasted no time after the Wallabies game last week to stoke the fires. He said his current team is “better than the 2015 side,” referencing the Brave Blossoms’ famous Miracle of Brighton defeat of the Boks at the 2015 World Cup.

“I’m expecting that Eddie will be building up his team all week and they’ll believe that they can win and rewrite history by beating the Boks at Wembley, so we are very aware of their mindset coming into this game, meaning we need to ensure that we are as well prepared as we can be.”

Flannery admits that although it is a longer November tour than usual, it will be an ideal test for the Boks as it resembles a mini World Cup.

“It’s a great challenge for us,” said Flannery.

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

“For this tour, we have five different opponents from week to week. 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.”

The match kicks off at 4.10pm.