South Africa is set to face Japan at the Wembley Stadium during their Autumn International Series in the first rugby fixture to be played at the London (UK) venue since 2016.
‘INDEPENDENT’ stated that the match will be a replay of the famous ‘Miracle of Brighton’ when Eddie Jones’ (Australian rugby union coach) Japan side beat the South Africa national rugby union team Springboks 34-32 in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in one of international rugby’s biggest upsets and a first-ever South African defeat to a Tier 2 side.
The 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium, currently branded as the Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London, England (UK). It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium which had stood from 1923 until 2003.
The Autumn International Series, now known as the Quilter Nations Series, is an annual rugby union event held in November where the Northern Hemisphere nations host the Southern Hemisphere and the other invited teams in the Test matches. These matches serve as a significant part of the international rugby calendar providing a platform for the high-quality fixtures between the top global teams in a structured tournament format.
The ‘Miracle of Brighton’ refers to the shocking 34-32 upset victory of Japan over the rugby titans South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in Brighton, England (UK).
‘INDEPENDENT’ further stated that the clash on November 1st will be the side’s fourth meeting after that memorable World Cup encounter and two South Africa wins in 2019.
Jones, now back in charge of the Brave Blossoms (Japan national rugby union team) after stints with England and Australia, said, “The game in Brighton 10 years ago changed rugby in Japan from being a minor sport to a boom sport. Playing against the ‘Boks’ is the dream of every young Japanese player.”
The Springboks begin their end-of-the-year tour with the Wembley fixture, the first since they and the French Barbarians (France) played out a 31-31 draw in 2016.
South Africa then play France in Paris the following week, the first official Test of the window, before traveling to Italy, Ireland and Wales on a five-match tour spanning the month.
Remarked Rassie Erasmus, Springboks Head Coach, “We are delighted to be starting off our tour of the Northern Hemisphere with a match against Japan at the iconic Wembley Stadium. The Brave Blossoms are renowned for playing fast, attacking, high-tempo rugby – which has been prevalent in our last two encounters before and during the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019.”
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