The Springboks managed to retain the Rugby Championship trophy this year but were less convincing in doing so, and have a number of injury and suspension concerns heading into the long five-game tour.
However, they did improve as the Southern Hemisphere championship went on, and with games against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales to come, they can make a statement two years out from the defence of their Rugby World Cup crown.
“A lot of hard work has been put in behind the scenes since the Rugby Championship for this tour, and hopefully this will set us in good standing to build on our season so far,” Erasmus said.
“Obviously, the conditions are vastly different in the UK and Europe to South Africa at this time of the year, but fortunately, most of the players in the squad have been exposed to those conditions either during their United Rugby Championship tours or by playing for overseas clubs.
“The time zone is also very similar to South Africa, which means we can slot back into full Test mode immediately from our first training session on Monday.”
South Africa have already beaten the Italians twice in July this year, and Erasmus knows there are no easy tests these days, Japan ran an under-strength Australia close just this past weekend.
“Japan have been improving steadily over the last few years, and they defeated us a few years ago, so we have no doubt they will come out guns blazing next Saturday and throw everything at us,” Erasmus said.
“The last time we faced France in Paris was in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, and that result will psyche them up going into the match. They are also ranked fourth in the world currently, and Ireland third, and we all know how tough matches at the Aviva Stadium are against them.
“Italy, meanwhile, put up a brave fight against us in Pretoria, and that will give them confidence going into our match in Turin. Wales will also be up for the challenge after recovering from a tough few years earlier this season. When we line up against them at the Principality Stadium, we’ll need to be ready mentally and physically each week to get the desired results.
“It won’t be easy, but we have a quality group of players, and we know what they are capable of when we stick to our structures and play to our potential on the day.”
Erasmus will name his team for the Japan clash on Tuesday.
