Ireland celebrate their win over the Springboks. Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
RWC Pool B standings! Should Springboks be worried?
Here’s how the Pool of Death, featuring the Springboks, standings look after three rounds of Rugby World Cup action.
Ireland celebrate their win over the Springboks. Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
We bring you the latest Pool B standings after a high-octane round of action, which included some nail-biting encounters, a Springboks defeat and several resounding victories.
ALSO READ: National Anthem uproar: Rugby World Cup choir controversy ignites debate
RWC INFORMATION
RWC 2023: POOL B RESULTS, FIXTURES AND STANDINGS
Results (round one): Ireland overpowered Romania on their way to a whopping 82-8 win in Bordeaux. The Springboks recorded an impressive 18-3 win over Scotland in Marseille.
Results (round two): Ireland and South Africa thrashed Tonga and Romania in Nantes and Bordeaux respectively to maintain their perfect records at the tournament.
Results (round three): Ireland emerged victories from their titanic clash against the Springboks in Paris, while Scotland — who’ve had a two-week break — won their second match of the tournament comfortably against Tonga.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | Points |
| 1. | Ireland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2. | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 3. | Scotland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 4. | Tonga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Romania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
ALSO READ: Springboks Bomb Squad ratings: The good, the bad and the ugly
THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE SPRINGBOKS
Ireland have now all but secured safe passage into the quarter-finals as the Pool B winners, with South Africa sitting in second position. However, Scotland have only played two games to date and can still overtake the Springboks in the Pool B standings.
The only way the Springboks can avoid having to rely on what happens to Scotland, is if they beat Tonga with a bonus point next Sunday. That would take their tally to 15 log points, which is also the maximum points still available to the Scots.
ALSO READ: SPRINGBOK PLAYER RATINGS — Excellence amid the heartbreak
Meaning, if both teams finish level on the log points, the Springboks will advance because they beat Scotland in the their head-to-head clash in the opening round.
Should the Springboks progress to the last eight as Pool B runners-up, which is the most likely to happen out of all the possible scenarios, they will face hosts France in the quarter-final, while the pool winners Ireland will square off against the All Blacks.
ALSO READ: Springboks v Ireland | Rate the referee — Ben O’Keeffe
