A look at all the key Springbok and South Africa stats, facts and numbers ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Photo by David Harrison / AFP
Springboks can claim World Number 1 ranking on Saturday, if…
The Springboks battered the All Blacks in a Rugby World Cup warmup clash to go second in the world rugby rankings. They can go top, if…
A look at all the key Springbok and South Africa stats, facts and numbers ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Photo by David Harrison / AFP
The Springboks will still be buzzing after their emphatic 7-35 win over the All Blacks at Twickenham. Ahead of the Rugby World Cup, they can still enter the tournament as number 1 in the world rugby rankings.
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Springboks batter the All Blacks
The Boks’ 35-7 win over New Zealand was the heaviest defeat ever inflicted on the All Blacks. The 2019 Rugby World Cup champions scored five tries through Siya Kolisi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi and Kwagga Smith. Manie Libbok expertly converted all five of them. The Boks were simply too intense and efficiency from set-pieces was simply too much for their opponents. Confidence in the Springbok camp ahead of their Rugby World Cup title defence in France will be sky-high.
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Top spot in World Rugby rankings up for grabs
With this famous win, the Springboks go second in the IRB world rankings behind Ireland. If the Irish fail to beat Samoa on Saturday evening, Jacques Nienaber’s men will claim the top spot because of their 35-7 win over Ian Foster’s All Blacks. They only needed a win by 15 points or greater to put themselves in this position.
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Rugby World Cup on the horizon
Although it’s all good and well to be on top of the world rankings, the Springboks will be firmly focused on defending their World Cup crown. It’s a nice bonus to sit at the top of the tree, but a surprise in the Ireland vs. Samoa match is highly unlikely. Besides, the real prize gets dished out on October 28th in Paris. The Boks have an awful lot of wind in their sails now.
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