Scotland have insisted they were not surprised by Japan's stunning Rugby World Cup victory over South Africa, as they prepare to face the Asian side on Wednesday. Back-row forward Ryan Wilson said the squad had been studying Japan's form for months and knew they were a well-drilled outfit.
Wilson acknowledged that Japan's physical encounter with South Africa would leave them sore, but he dismissed any suggestion they would struggle to recover in time for the match against Scotland. 'They will have been sore on Sunday morning, I can guarantee that,' he said. 'Having a win like that will give them a high level of confidence but they will be hurting physically.'
The 26-year-old stressed the importance of discipline, noting that South Africa's penalty count had helped Japan. 'We will be looking to keep our penalty count as low as possible,' he said. 'We knew Japan were very accurate in the first three phases of play but what impressed us even more is that they kept the ball through five, six, seven, eight phases against South Africa.'
Fly-half Duncan Weir echoed Wilson's sentiments, saying the squad had always viewed Japan as a growing rugby nation. 'So it's not really a surprise in our camp,' he said. 'We always knew this Japan game was going to be a huge test for us.'
