Rampant Boks on a high before World Cup draw

The Springboks will find out who is lying in wait to ambush their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup rugby title when the draw for the global showpiece takes place in Sydney on Wednesday.

The 2027 edition in Australia will be the biggest tournament in the sport’s history, with 24 teams battling it out for rugby’s biggest prize.

After beating Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales on their triumphant European tour, the Springboks are the team everyone wants to avoid in the draw.

A barnstorming 73-0 victory over Wales on Saturday marked the Springboks’ 13th win out of 15 matches this season for a win ratio of 86.7%.

With the Boks finishing the season as the top team on the world rankings, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said a good run of wins on their European tour had been important.

“We never look at the world rankings, but this year finishing at the top of the rankings was important for us,” he said.

“We are not sure if it will be beneficial when the Rugby World Cup draw is made, and even though we will play good teams throughout next year in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, we’ll still try to get more caps into the players.”

Australia will get things under way in the opening game at Perth Stadium on October 1, kicking off a new era for the World Cup.

In previous tournaments, going back to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, there have traditionally been 20 teams divided into four pools of five teams.

The top two teams from each pool would then progress to the quarterfinals, which was the first round of the knockouts.

In Australia, there will be 24 teams, and therefore the tournament required a new format and one big change with the round of 16 as the first knockout phase.

There will now be six pools with four teams in each.

The top two teams from each pool will progress to the round of 16, while the four best third-place teams will also progress.

Instead of 48 matches, as at the last World Cup, there will now be 52 games.

While there are more knockout matches, the change from five teams in each pool to four has meant one fewer match for each team in the pool stage.

When South Africa won the 2023 Rugby World Cup, they played seven games (four games in the pool stage and a quarterfinal, a semifinal and a final).

If they were to reach the final of the 2027 World Cup, they would still only play seven games (three games in the pool stage, then the round of 16, a quarterfinal, a semifinal and a final).

The 12 teams that finished in the top three of their pools at the 2023 World Cup have automatically qualified for the 2027 showpiece.

Those teams are France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina and Japan.

The 12 remaining places were reserved for teams that qualified through various regional tournaments, including 2025’s Rugby Europe Championship and Rugby Africa Cup. They are Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, the US, Uruguay, Chile, Samoa, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong China.

The final confirmed seeding bands are:

• Band 1: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina.
• Band 2: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Japan.
• Band 3: Georgia, Spain, Uruguay, US, Chile, Tonga.
• Band 4: Samoa, Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe, Canada.

World Rugby chair Brett Robinson said: “With only two years until the biggest men’s Rugby World Cup ever, I’m thrilled to see the tournament draw about to happen.

“The draw brings the potential match-ups to life, rivalries are set, and fans across the globe can envision the unforgettable rugby that awaits.

“Expanding the men’s Rugby World Cup to 24 teams is a landmark moment for our sport. It means more nations, more matches, and more opportunities for fans around the world to connect with rugby.”

The Herald