Japan coach Eddie Jones believes the Cherry Blossoms can beat South Africa in their opening World Cup match, if they win the scrum.

Jones is a big admirer of the French referee Jerome Garces, who will take charge of the Pool B opener at Brighton Community Stadium tomorrow morning (AEST time).

“The referee will play his part,” Jones said on the eve of the clash.

“Because our guys don’t speak English it can be at a disadvantage. We’ve got one of the best referees in the world tomorrow and hopefully he gives us a fair game, particularly in the scrummaging.

“We’ve got a scrum that can trouble the Springboks. I’m not worried about the Springboks’ scrum. They are high and loose and we can scrum them tomorrow. But, hopefully, the referee will give us a chance to scrum them. The worst thing in the game would be is if the first scrum collapses then he tells us to get higher.

“Whereas the Springboks have to scrum at our height. As long as we’re scrumming legally and have got our heads and shoulders above our hips, then that’s the height they have to scrum at. He’s a good French referee, one of the best in the world. Hopefully, he will not let Jannie du Plessis referee the scrum tomorow because Jannie can talk,” he continued.

“We can win the scrum battle tomorrow; if we can win the scrum battle we’re in a position to win the game.”

Former NRL star Craig Wing has been ruled out of the clash with a calf injury, however Jones said he is still confident Japan can win just their first World Cup match since their solo victory in 1991.

“We’re not going out there to be a practice game tomorrow. We’re going out there to win the game,” Jones said. “I know that might seem like a fallacy to you but why not? We’ve worked hard, we’ve got into the top 10 in the world, we won 10 test matches in a row and we’ve beaten Wales and Italy.

“South Africa’s a tall mountain to climb but that’s what the World Cup is all about. And tomorrow could be a day to remember for Japanese rugby.”