The Springbok coach, however, warned that even lower-ranked teams can turn up the heat in the World Cup.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus said while he was satisfied with drawing Pool B in the 2027 Rugby World Cup, he knows that every team will fight hard in the global showpiece.
The Springboks drew Italy, Georgia and Romania in Wednesday’s draw. The teams are ranked 10th, 13th and 22nd in the world, respectively, and South Africa have lost to only one of them in their history – Italy in 2016.
The Springboks have beaten these three in all their previous World Cup clashes – Romania in 1995 and 1999, Georgia in 2003, and Italy in 2019.
Rassie happy with the draw
Erasmus said he was satisfied with the draw as the Boks aim to win the tournament for an unprecedented third time in a row.
“We are pleased with the pool we have been drawn in, but this is a World Cup, and every team will go out there with great passion and do their utmost to represent their nations with pride,” said Erasmus.
“There have been surprises in the tournament before, so we’ll need to be up mentally and physically for every match.”
He said the scorelines did not reflect the grit Italy showed during their three losses to the Springboks this year.
The Springboks beat Italy 42-24 in Pretoria and 55-10 in Gqeberha, in July, and 32-14 in Turin in November, despite playing much of the match with 14 men.
“Georgia and Romania are also extremely physical and passionate teams, and we’ve faced them before, so we know how tough they can be on the day if we give them space and opportunities to play to their potential.”
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Springboks target fifth World Cup title
With the number of participating teams increasing from 20 to 24 and 52 matches playing out in the global extravaganza, the tournament will now feature six pools as opposed to four, with the winners of Pool A, B, C, and D taking on the four best third-placed teams, while the winners of Pool E and F will face the runners-up from Pool B and D.
The runners-up in Pool A and C, in turn, will meet the second-placed teams from Pool E and F in the Round of 16.
The extravaganza will be hosted from 1 October to 13 November 2027 across seven cities in Australia – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, and Townsville – with the matchday schedule set to be announced on Tuesday, 3 February 2026.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Pools
- Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong China
- Pool B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, Romania
- Pool C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Canada
- Pool D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal
- Pool E: France, Japan, USA, Samoa
- Pool F: England, Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe
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