The last thing the Springboks need in Friday’s final warm-up for the World Cup against Japan is injury to one of their key men.
That’s the risk coach Rassie Erasmus took when he announced his strongest available match 23 for the clash.
Yes, they lost to Japan in the only meeting between the two sides in Brighton four years ago.
But revenge is the last thing that should be on the minds of Siya Kolisi and his teammates.
Instead, game management should be the top priority.
GAME FACE: Skipper Siya Kolisi. Photo: Themba Hadebe/AP.
And there are a few areas that they need to address.
Firstly, they will have to control the tempo of the game.
As mentioned by the Bok camp throughout the week, humidity will play a big factor in the game and they expect Japan to have a high-tempo approach to the encounter.
Gearing up for the All Blacks is what this match is all about, so the Boks will have to slow the game down as much as they can to allow their big forwards to be in the contest for the full 80 minutes.
CONTROL: Flyhalf Handre Pollard. Photo: Andrew Cornaga.
Flyhalf Handre Pollard will be out to pin Japan in their half, while the Boks will have opportunities to strike on the counter.
Their lineout set piece has been a source of concern for a number of years now and with the slippery ball, the target should be to give Malcolm Marx as many opportunities to find his jumpers as possible.
So expect South Africa to kick a lot and refine their attacks from set piece plays.
The potential is there to run wild against Japan, but getting sucked into a free-for-all is not what is needed in this match.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/StrongerTogether?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StrongerTogether #LoveJapan pic.twitter.com/rH44nJBB9M
— Springboks (@Springboks)
Instead, Erasmus's Boks should see it as their final training-day session before the big match against the All Blacks on September 21.
Oh, and a win is an absolute must for team confidence.