MISSION FRANCE
RWC POOL: BOKS FACE IRELAND FOR THE FIRST TIME The defending champions have been drawn in what many consider to be the ‘easy’ pool.
The Springboks will meet Ireland at a Rugby World Cup for the first time after the teams were drawn to play in Pool B at the tournament in France in 2023.
The current World Cup holders will also face off with another Six Nations side, Scotland, in what some will call an easy pool.
The Boks have twice been in the same pool as Scotland, in 1999 and 2015, but have never faced Ireland at the tournament.
South Africa have won 18 of the 26 matches they have played against Ireland; the teams having never met on neutral ground, while against Scotland, the Boks have won 22 of 27 clashes.
Jacques Nienaber’s men will also come up against two qualifying teams – one each from Europe and Asia/Pacific qualifying – one of Georgia, Romania or Russia from Europe and Tonga or Samoa from Asia/Pacific.
The other three pools look much “tougher”.
In Pool A, hosts France will have to get past New Zealand and Franco Smith-coached Italy if they’re to qualify for the knockout rounds, while in Pool C Wales, Australia and Fiji will square off. In Pool D, England, Japan and Argentina will fight it out to progress to the quarterfinals.
Following the draw yesterday, Bok boss Jacques Nienaber said: “We are obviously excited about the draw, and although 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.
“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.”
The tournament kicks off on 8 September and the final will be contested on 21 October in Paris.
Bok captain Siya Kolisi said the draw heralded a significant marker for the team to aim at. “It’s exciting, really, to know who your opponents will be.”
However, Kolisi said that for the immediate future, the Boks’ attention will be on another huge and looming challenge – the British and Irish Lions tour next year.