Boks face All Blacks or France in RWC quarters
Ireland probably poses the biggest threat in first round
If SA advance from Pool B at the 2023 Rugby World Cup they could meet either hosts France or arch-rivals New Zealand in a blockbuster quarterfinal showdown.
At the draw held in Paris on Monday the Springboks were drawn in Pool B alongside Ireland, Scotland, Asia Pacific I qualifier (expected to be Samoa) and Europe 2 qualifier (possibly Spain).
"You need to get out of your group and you need to fancy your chances to do that,” former Bok captain Jean de Villiers said.
"In this pool we are drawn in, Ireland probably poses the biggest threat.
"They will be the top team in the pool along with the Boks.
"Scotland, even though they are progressing, I feel happy we will be able to beat them.
"The Asia Pacific team will probably be Samoa, whom we have faced so many times in World Cups before.
"We are in a decent pool.
"The challenging part is your quarterfinal, which is probably your toughest game of the World Cup.
"We will face either the hosts, France, or New Zealand, and that is a tough quarterfinal. Hopefully from there you progress to the other games.”
Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber said." We are obviously excited about the draw, and though the Rugby World Cup in France is still almost three years away, it's good to have an end-goal to work towards.
"To be in the same pool as Ireland and Scotland will be a massive challenge, but to win the tournament, you have to be able to beat all the teams and we will be properly tested in the pool phases.
"We saw last year the margin for error — even during the pool stages — at any Rugby World Cup is very small. Take for instance our situation where we simply had to win every single pool game after our loss to the All Blacks in Japan, to ensure we qualify for the knockout stages.
“If you look at the countries in the top three bands, I would say each one of those teams is capable of beating another on any given day, proven by a team such as Japan, who have made huge strides in recent years.”
Bok skipper Siya Kolisi said the draw heralds a significant marker for them to aim at.
“It s exciting, really, to know who your RWC pool opponents will be for the 2023 tournament in France,” Kolisi said.
However, Kolisi said for the immediate future, the Springboks’ attention would be on another huge and looming challenge.
“For now, we have to turn our attention to the massive challenge the British & Irish Lions will bring next year.
“There is huge anticipation, both at home and in the UK, for what promises to be another memorable Lions series in SA,” the Springbok captain said.
The Springboks have never been drawn in a RWC pool with Ireland and will be defending a proud history as they have only lost three pool matches in seven tournaments, against England (2003), Japan (2015) and New Zealand (2019).