Rugby World Cup conditions change from Durban style Humidity to Dry Highveld

This week has seen a noticeable change in the season, with dryer conditions replacing the humid late summer, early autumn. 

Like Durban, the late summer is the most humid time, but as Autumn progresses, it is also less hot.  Rassie said the dryer conditions should favour Japan more than the warm-up game which was so humid, that it was more like wet weather. 

These type of "dryer" conditions will also make it harder for Northern Hemisphere teams with bigger slower packs. 

I don't think it will be much of an issue for the Boks, because the Boks have always played better on the dry highveld than on the SA coastline. It will favour the Boks against most teams in the semis, other than the All Blacks. 

SB

I think the warm up game showed extreme tiredness on the part of the SA players and at the end of the game some looked really near to down and out.  I think the drier conditions would favour the Springboks more than it did in the warm-up game.  

It could be interesting to see the team selection for Sunday's game.   I think that the Japanese showed us their real strength playing high pace rugby and that may to an extent influence in particular the bench selection.   The only player from the starting line-up in the warm-up game that will not feature in the game on Sunday will be Mostert.   

I also think that the players that will be missed on the bench could be one of the scrummies and Steyn.   My guess is that Reinach may be the one who plays and that Willemse will be in the line-up, he has serious pace himself and could be a factor in attack together with the two wings,

I think Erasmus is a shrewd operator and after the Canada game he said the team will have two rest days and then start preparing for the quarterfinal,   He also indicated that the team may have been determined already,   So lets wait for tomorrow or Thursday when I believe the team would be  announced.