The Springboks have been drawn in Pool B for the Rugby World Cup in 2019 to be held in Japan.
South face the task of playing the World number 1 ranked team in the pool stages, as well as having to face Italy, the very team the Springboks lost to for the first time in 2016. The other 2 teams are yet to qualify, but will be the Africa 1 winner as well as the Repechage winner.
Pool C will be known as the pool of death, featuring all three of England, France and Argentina, with one of those big names falling out at the pool stages already.
Pool A sees Ireland get Scotland and hosts Japan. Japan with a realistic chance of getting through the pool stage should they be able to beat Scotland.
Pool D has Australia and Wales meet again at consecutive World Cups, joined by Georgia.
Full pools below:
Pool A:
Ireland
Scotland
Japan
Europe 1
Play-off Winner
Pool B:
New Zealand
South Africa
Italy
Africa 1
Repechage Winner
Pool C:
England
France
Argentina
Americas 1
Oceania 2
Pool D:
Australia
Wales
Georgia
Oceania 1
Americas 2
Tweet
Eina
…and Italy 😯 😈
If I recall correctly, Scotland was the only team that beat Japan at the previous World Cup so your statement incorrect in that regard
@FireTheLooser (Comment 2) : damn you beat me to it… just like Italy beat the Boks.
One positive note is we should only meet them, where it counts, in the final and not the semis again.
Who plays who in the quarter finals? Pool A top two against Pool D and Pool B against Pool C?
@blesbok007 (Comment 3) :
My apologies..
Am I the only one thinking this isn’t a bad draw as we meet the All Blacks in the pool stages when it doesn’t really matter and we really should qualify to go through. We then go to the other half of the draw so not having to play the All Blacks but also get god prep for the knockouts having played against them. We really should easily beat the others in the pool. So fr me this is a good draw.
@SheldonK (Comment 8) : Only problem… do you realistically see us beating England in the quarters?
@SheldonK (Comment 8) : Agree, better than being drawn with Ireland and Scotland or England and France for instance. We really should progress from this group and should also probably be spared from meeting the AB”s again until the later stages of the tournament (if we are really lucky enough to get through). It could have been worse.
@SheldonK (Comment 8) : Yes we should easily beat Italy. Just like we should have last year, just like we should have beat Japan in 2015. With Allister at the helm anything is possible
No big deal. Looking forward to it. 😎
@SheldonK (Comment 8) : Agree rather get hiding from the AB’s early than Tonga or Samoa,but what a sad day when we 2 x champions lose our A seeding.
@boertjie101 (Comment 9) : Would we not be playing pool A in the quarters? and then across to Pool C /D in the Semi’s?
@boertjie101 (Comment 9) : @Die Kriek (Comment 11) : Look currently I cant see the Boks beating Namibia. So with that viewpoint it shouldn’t matter who we draw as we wont be I the comp long. But taking a more positive view I still think this is a god draw
Been a while since we have met NZ in the world cup.
@Dunx (Comment 16) : Yeah, about 2 and a half years ago…
@Dunx (Comment 16) : We played against them in the last world cup, not in tje pool stages but remember we lost 20-18, until that game NZ was putting teams to the sword
@Farlington (Comment 6) : in 2015 it was A vs B and C vs D which should put us against Scotland or Ireland in qf
@Uli Boelie (Comment 14) : You’re quite right. We faced Wales (2nd in pool A) in RWC 2015 (We were 1st in pool A)
@boertjie101 (Comment 20) : I meant 1st in pool B
@Quintin (Comment 17) : Well done, not what i meant though haha
@West Indies Cricket Board (Comment 19) : which should put us in a pool C semi vs France, Eng or Arg.
Actually better to have ABs in pool stage since you wont meet them again until final. Wishful thinking level 500
Well could have been worse!!!! Could have been in pool C!!!
Not a bad draw all in all…
With Allister Coetzee coaching, It pretty much doesn’t matter what pool were in, its all a pool of death.
@coolfusion (Comment 26) : Squad of death turns every game into a game of death.
Need new coach with the ability to create a strong team culture….Strauss reminds me of Vosloo(?), Cant even remember his name, but Strauss is as underwhelming.
My Sharks bias/optimism has me rooting for Philip.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 27) : *…new captain
@FireTheLooser (Comment 27) : Yep I must say I’m much happier since I stopped watching or caring about springbok rugby.
Goodnite, goodbye, only thing left is which ref is going to get the blame
Wonder how the AB’s must feel about us being in their pool.
A Bok team written off as no hopers ,with nothing to loose has got to be their worst nightmare.