South Africa ready for tough European tour - Rassie Erasmus

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus emphasised that his side want to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world as they gear up for a demanding five-match European tour that begins with an encounter against Japan at Wembley Stadium on 1st November.

““We are excited about the tour and to measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the world,” Erasmus said.

“A lot of hard work has been put in behind the scenes since the Castle Lager Rugby Championship for this tour and hopefully this will set us in good standing to build on our season so far.”

The Springboks’ autumn schedule also includes Tests against France in Paris on 8 November, Italy n Turin on 15 November, Ireland in Dublin on 22 November and Wales in Cardiff on 29 November.

Erasmus highlighted the challenge of touring in Europe: “The conditions are vastly different in the UK and Europe compared with South Africa at this time of the year, but most of the players in the squad have been exposed to those conditions during their URC tours or by playing for overseas clubs.

"The time zone is also very similar to South Africa’s, which means we can slot back into full Test mode immediately from our first training session.”

The Springboks departed this week to the UK ahead of the tour, and their early arrival allows time to adjust to the northern-hemisphere environment.