The Springboks on Sunday began their preparations in earnest for the Rugby World Cup (RWC), after arriving at their training camp in Seki, Japan.
South Africa play their first warm-up match against hosts Japan in Kumagaya on September 6.
“We have huge respect for Japanese rugby,” said Erasmus after being reminded – not for the first time – of Japan’s victory over the Springboks (32-34) in Brighton at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
“They have an outstanding coaching team who have been preparing for this game for a while now and they will be determined to prove that 2015 was not a freak result.
“They’re well-conditioned and come off the back of winning the Pacific Nations Cup after victories over USA, Tonga and Fiji, so they have reason to be confident. And they have just equalled their highest ever world ranking (ninth).
“They made a movie about the last time they played us – it’s our job to make sure there’s no sequel.”
The match will be shown live on SuperSport 1 (match starts 12.15pm SA time).
South Africa open their RWC against New Zealand in Yokohama on September 21.