It may at first glance look like a relatively easy draw for the double World Cup defending champions South Africa at the Rugby World Cup 2027, but the result of being placed in Pool B for the tournament means they have a potential nightmare quarterfinal draw against the All Blacks.
The draw is not as bad as the 2023 World Cup where the Springboks were drawn against Ireland and Scotland in the pools and had to face France in the quarterfinals before taking on England in the semis and New Zealand in the final. But the prospect of the two World Cup finalists from 2023 facing off against each other in a quarterfinal is not one that either side would have wanted.
COLLISION COURSE
The All Blacks will be the top seeds in Pool A along with hosts Australia, giving the tournament a great opening game but whoever wins that is likely to have a showdown with the Springboks in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The Springboks were drawn with Italy, Georgia and Romania in their pool - two of the three opponents they played this year and won easily while Romania aren’t expected to provide much of a challenge.
But where it becomes interesting is when the tournament heads to the knockout stages, with the Round of 16 becoming a winner takes all battle.
The Boks, should they win their pool as expected, are likely to face the best third placed finisher from Pool D, E or F, whoever gets the most log points.
In reality that is likely to be either Uruguay, Portugal, USA or Tonga, all of which shouldn’t be too much opposition for a Springbok team that would be building momentum.
But then the quarterfinal sees them face the winner of pool A - which will either be New Zealand or Australia.
FRANCE AHEAD IN SEMIFINAL
The semifinal will see them face - if the seeding goes to plan - France as pool E winner, although the runners up of Pools D, C and F will also be in contention. That means whoever loses the Pool D game between Ireland and Scotland, or runners up between Argentina and Fiji, or Wales and England will fight it out for a semifinal spot.
The Boks will still be confident, because they have beaten all their top rivals this season and are building nicely with record wins over New Zealand, France and Wales this year, and a big statement win against Ireland.
But the fact that New Zealand will face South Africa so early has made it an easier draw for England, who are the other form team in World Rugby at the moment and it won’t be a surprise if they go all the way to the final.
They should have too much for Wales in their pool, and then are likely to face the runner up of pool A - which according to the seeding should be Australia. If seedings go according to plan they will face the winner of Ireland/Argentina in the semifinals and the Springboks in the final.
BOKS CURRENTLY FORM TEAM
All the teams will start planning now for the tournament but the Boks, with their record over the past few World Cups and their incredible form at the moment, will feel confident, even though they face a tough task against their biggest rivals.
A lot can happen between now and 2027, but the Boks know that if they want to become the first team to win three World Cups, they have a tough roadblock on their way to the final to overcome first.
