All Blacks, Springboks in same World Cup pool

KYOTO, Japan — New Zealand will face archrival South Africa in the 2019 Rugby World Cup pool stage in Japan and Six Nations champion England was again drawn in the toughest pool of the tournament on Wednesday.

The All Blacks, the two-time defending champions, have never lost a pool game, but that record will be tested when they face the Springboks, the former two-time champions, in Pool B.

The Springboks won their biggest cup match, the 1995 final that was portrayed in the movie “Invictus,” but the All Blacks have won their last two cup matches, including in the 2015 semifinals.

It will be the first time the two nations meet in the pool stage.

“Any one of the top eight teams that you get paired up with are going to be tough,” New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen said. “In this case we get South Africa. They are a team that knows us well and we know them very well.”

South Africa has fallen behind its traditional foe, though, with New Zealand winning nine of their last 10 games in all competitions.

“As I said before the draw was made, to us it doesn’t matter who we are drawn against because to win the Rugby World Cup you have to beat the best teams,” Springboks coach Allister Coetzee said.

The draw featured the 12 teams that had booked places courtesy of a top-three pool finish at the 2015 World Cup in England.

England was drawn with France and Argentina in Pool C. Two-time champion Australia was with Wales and Georgia in Pool D. Japan was with Ireland and Scotland in Pool A.