Springbok Scrumhalf, Grant Williams, emphasised the importance of delivering a high standard of rugby to set the tone for what will be a challenging end-of-the-year trip.
The Springboks’ have another four tough matches lined up following this match, against France at Stade de France in Paris (8 November), Italy at the Allianz Stadium in Turin (15 November), Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (22 November), and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (29 November) as part of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
Saturday will mark Williams’ first match against Japan, and he is excited about the prospect of facing the Brave Blossoms.
“It’s always an honour to be selected for the Springboks, and I’m really looking forward to playing against Japan,” said Williams.
“They play a very fast game, and Wembley Stadium has a fast pitch, so I’m very excited about the challenge. They also have good and fast scrumhalves, so it will be a challenging day in the park for us if we don’t slow down their ball.”
“I think our game plan suits whatever weather is thrown at us. If it’s wet, we know we’ve got a strong kicking game, and if it’s dry, we know we can move the ball and have the South African way of doing things with some physicality, so I think we are well prepared.”
With Japan suffering a loss by only four points against Australia last weekend, Williams said the match would be tougher than many pundits think: “Any team in the world will want to challenge us, and we know Japan has been playing really well. We’ve looked at their past results and the way they play, so that they will be psyched up and ready for the battle on Saturday.”
“We can’t look too far ahead. The first job is to make sure we play well against Japan, and if all goes well, then we’re all set up for the rest of the tour,” Williams said.