A 36-man squad will go through their paces at closed sessions before Rassie Erasmus has to make the call of which five players will not be boarding the flight to Japan.

While the Boks are unbeaten this season and won the Rugby Championship, to them they are far from the end goal.

Erasmus says that this group of players has taken ownership of what happens on the field and to him that is pleasing.

“As coaches, we can only put tactics and structures in place and have a broader plan. But, when it comes to the finer details and how to actually beat the opposition that is where the ownership of the individual players comes in.

“That’s where the actual satisfaction for the players comes in. When they make the plans themselves.

“When they work on that and they take ownership of that it changes the mood in the camp.”

The World Cup squad will be named next week Monday, and on 6 September they face Japan in a final warm-up Test.

Forwards - Schalk Brits (Bulls), Lood de Jager (Bulls), Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Stormers), Rynhardt Elstadt (Toulouse, France), Eben Etzebeth (Stormers), Lizo Gqoboka (Bulls), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Saracens, England), Siya Kolisi (Stormers), Francois Louw (Bath, England), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Lions), Bongi Mbonambi (Stormers), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Gloucester, England), Trevor Nyakane (Bulls), Marvin Orie (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Lions), RG Snyman (Bulls), Duane Vermeulen (Bulls).

Backs - Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Damian de Allende (Stormers), Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks, England), André Esterhuizen (Sharks), Warrick Gelant (Bulls), Elton Jantjies (Lions), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse, France), Jesse Kriel (Bulls), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Sbu Nkosi (Sharks), Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz, Japan), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Northampton Saints, England), Frans Steyn (Montpellier, France).

@MorganPiek OFM Sport