The Springboks will take on Italy, Georgia and Romania in their pool, about as comfortable a ride as they could have expected.
It would be a major shock were they not to top that group, with the winner of Pool A to go on and meet the third-placed teams from Pools D/E/F in the Round of 16. That could be a Portugal, Samoa or Tonga.
They would be expected to pass that gentle hurdle too, but then it gets interesting.
They are then set to meet the winner of Pool A in the quarter-finals, assuming they make it that far too, which is almost certain to be Australia or New Zealand, probably the latter.
Should they advance past that hurdle, they could very well face France in the semi-finals, with Fabian Galthie’s side expected to advance to the last-4, with Scotland their only potential other rival.
If the Springboks make the final then it comes down to the other side of the draw, where England, Ireland and Argentina would have battled it out for a place in the decider.
So there is a good chance that should the Springboks retain the World Cup trophy, they will have to beat the same three teams in the knockout rounds as 2023, just in a different order – New Zealand, France and then England.
South Africa are four-time winners of the Rugby World Cup after victories in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2023.
2027 Rugby World Cup Pool Stage Draw
POOL A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong
POOL B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, Romania
POOL C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Canada
POOL D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal
POOL E: France, Japan, United States, Samoa