Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ 2027 World Cup pool is far from the easy ride some assume.
On Wednesday, the Boks were drawn in Pool B with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The top two teams in each pool, plus the four best third-placed teams, will reach the round-of-16 knockout stage.
“I think Georgia and Romania will give you real physicality,” Erasmus said.
“Romania have been doing very well in their own competitions. If we organised a warm-up game against them, it would be tough. We’d rather take the chance and meet them in the pool.”
However, Erasmus made it clear that Italy pose the biggest pool-stage threat.
“I said earlier this year that Italy will be three or four [in the Six Nations] in my personal opinion,” he said.
In 2025, the Boks beat the Azzurri 42-24 at Loftus, 45-0 in Gqeberha and 32-14 in Turin.
“We played them three times this year and we’ll play them again at the end of next year,” said Erasmus. “By the time we get to Australia, we’ll have played them four times. It’s almost like training against a team – both sides will know each other so well.”
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Erasmus praised Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada’s for their rapid development and tactical sharpness.
“Gonzalo is a very sharp guy. They’re clever, they’re fit and their players gain experience all over the world. Very few actually play in Italy.
“Their [lack of] depth sometimes catches up with them in the Six Nations, but when we meet them at the World Cup, they’ll be strong. That will be our pressure game.”
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Erasmus said the Boks would be properly prepared for the challenge.
“Georgia will physically give it to you, Romania will physically give it to you and Italy are on the up. We can always intensify our training sessions, and we’ve got 33 players who can all start. We’ll be battle-ready.”
Photo: Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
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