The final round of the Pool stages of the Rugby World Cup in France brings with it a multitude of possibilities for most of the teams involved to progress to the knockout stages.
There has been no shortage of excitement at this year’s edition, and it is no surprise that with one round left, a number of sides, including the defending champions – the Springboks – are not guaranteed safe passage into the next round.
The Boks’ 13-8 defeat at the hands of world number one Ireland slightly complicated the situation for the three-time winners but they remain confident.
The so-called “Pool of Death” has so far proven to be just that, with three teams – Ireland, the Boks and Scotland – still having a decent chance of progressing.
Ireland are in pole position, sitting top of the standings, but they are also not safe yet and could potentially miss out should things not go their way in the final round.
Scotland still have a mouth-watering final-day clash with the Irish in Paris on October 7 and could potentially throw a spanner in the works.
The Boks, on the other hand, are on 10 points ahead of their final Pool clash with Tonga today (9pm) and need a bonus-point win to ensure passage.
“Each one of us understands the importance of this match with an eye on qualifying for the quarterfinal,” said Nienaber.
“The emphasis for us will be on doing what we need to do to bounce back from last week and build momentum. We know we have the players and skills to defend our title. We now need to transfer all the hard work at training into producing a top-quality performance.”
As things stand, the Boks will likely face Pool A toppers and hosts France in the quarterfinals on October 14.
Should they manage to finish top of Pool A, Nienaber’s Boks could face New Zealand, who are expected to finish second in Pool A.
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