Boks face tough World Cup draw
COETZEE’S MEN COULD BE IN THE ‘POOL OF DEATH’ SA may be grouped with Argentina and All Blacks/Wallabies.
Apotential nightmare is set to become a harsh reality for the Springboks today when the pool draw for Rugby World Cup 2019 takes place in the Japanese city of Kyoto.
After the poor Bok run last year when they lost eight of 12 Tests, they have dropped to an all-time low of seventh in the world rankings which could see them drawn in a so-called “Pool of Death”.
It is expected the Boks could be drawn with Argentina as well as either defending champions New Zealand or Australia.
The draw will be broadcast live via a suite of digital and social media platforms, starting at 5pm local time and 10am SA time.
It will be the first time that the World Cup is held in Asia and will be Japan’s biggest sporting event in more than a decade.
The eight previous World Cups were held in New Zealand (twice, 1987 and 2011), South Africa (once, 1995), England (twice, 1991, 2015), Australia (once, 2003), France (2007) and Wales (1999).
An estimated 75% of the population live within an hour of a venue, so there is an opportunity for everyone to experience and be a part of one of the most popular sporting events on the planet.
The World Cup in Japan will comprise 20 teams allocated into four pools of five teams.
The 12 directly qualified teams from Rugby World Cup 2015 will be seeded based on the World Rugby rankings determined at 12pm yesterday and positioned into three bands of four teams.
The 12 directly qualified teams are those that finished in the top three of each RWC 2015 pool and are (in each relevant band).
Band One:
New Zealand, England, Australia, Ireland Scotland, Wales, France Argentina, Japan,
Band Two: South Africa,
Band Three:
Georgia, Italy
Band Four:
Oceania 1, Americas 1, Europe 1, Africa 1
Oceania 2, Americas 2, Play-Off Winner (between Europe 2 and Oceania 3), Repechage Winner.
Band Five: