Rankings: Where Springboks and World Cup pool opponents stand
Take a look at some of the standout World Rugby rankings as the Springboks get set to open their RWC campaign against Scotland.
The Springboks will begin their World Cup title defence on Sunday, 10 September, against the Scots in Marseille, before facing Romania (17 September), Ireland (23 September) and Tonga (1 October) in their remaining pool matches.
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The Springboks have been placed in what is expected to be a highly competitive and unpredictable pool, with the likes of Scotland and Ireland having made massive progress since the last World Cup, while Tonga can certainly be dangerous on their day.
Notably, when it comes to the world rankings, South Africa have moved up to second place – just behind Ireland – who are 0.74 rankings ahead. Of course, things could change before these teams meet later this month, but it is interesting to note how the two top teams in the world have currently been placed on the same side of the draw.
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Meanwhile, Scotland are ranked fifth in the world, while Tonga are 15th. Romania can be found down in 19th spot.
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THE SPRINGBOKS’ STANDING IN THE RANKINGS CAN BE SEEN BELOW:
SOUTH AFRICA AIMING TO EMBRACE PRESSURE
“We’ve been the defending world champions for the last four years, and we can’t change that, so we have to accept it going into this World Cup,” said Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
“But we know there are several teams that can win this World Cup and if we are one percent off on any given day, it could be a long day on the park.”
Looking ahead at their opening match against Scotland in a little over a week, Nienaber expected a physical and competitive encounter.
“They are a fit team and because of that, they can get stuck in and play for over 80 minutes,” said Nienaber. “That’s certainly one of their strengths.
“We know Pieter de Villiers (Scotland’s scrum coach) well, and they also have strong set pieces, which allows them to play with the ball and with a lot of rhythm.”