So here England are again four years on from Japan, heading into a semi-final as underdogs against the World No 1 defending champions.
The difference is that Eddie Jones had been planning that semi-final performance against New Zealand for the best part of two years with the subsequent 19-7 victory coming to define the better part of his tenure as England head coach. Steve Borthwick has six days to enact a plan to topple the Springboks.
By dint of his appointment nine months out from the World Cup, Borthwick has not had the luxury of long-term planning, instead focusing all his efforts into being his mantra of “ready for September 9”, the opening game against Argentina.