Boks brace for humidity challenge under closed Kobe roof

Cape Town - When the Springboks meet Canada in their final Pool B match at the Rugby World Cup on Tuesday, they will do so under a closed roof at the Kobe Misaki Stadium. 

The Boks are expected to win the match and book their spot in the tournament quarter-finals, where they are likely to meet either Ireland or Japan on October 20 at Tokyo Stadium. 

The Japanese conditions have been a talking point throughout the tournament so far, with the heat and humidity making handling difficult while there are now also threats of severe storms. 

It is part of the reason the Springboks were the first side to land in Japan ahead of the competition as coach Rassie Erasmus wanted as much time as possible for his troops to acclimatise. 

Speaking to media on Monday, Louw spoke about the challenges that arise with even higher humidity levels that come with playing under the roof. 

"I think it's been fairly humid since we arrived in Japan. It's something we've had to get used to pretty quickly and I think coming out three weeks prior to the tournament starting definitely gave us a chance to practice in those conditions a bit more," he said.

"With a closed roof it should be an increased humidity level, but I think our game plan and structure should stay the same. With the roof open or closed, it is slippery most of the time.

"We'll put an emphasis on ball carrying and at the breakdown providing a good platform for our halfbacks. I think it's more just an attitude to looking after the ball."

Louw will start the match at No 8 and kick-off will be at 12:15 (SA time). 

Teams:

South Africa

15 Damian Willemse, 14 Warrick Gelant, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Sbu Nkosi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Thomas du Toit 

Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux

Canada

15 Andrew Coe; 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe; 10 Peter Nelson, 9 Phil Mack; 8 Tyler Ardron (captain), 7 Matt Heaton, 6 Lucas Rumball; 5 Kyle Baillie, 4 Evan Olmstead; 3 Jake Ilnicki, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 1 Hubert Buydens

Substitutes: 16 Benoit Piffero, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Matt Tierney, 19 Josh Larsen, 20 Michael Sheppard, 21 Jamie Mackenzie, 22 Shane O'Leary, 23 Guiseppe du Toit

- Compiled by Lloyd Burnard