Boks want to 'fly under the radar'
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, speaking to the media after his team's arrival in England at the weekend, said he would prefer it if his team can "fly be under the radar" at the global showpiece.
Meyer said that winning the World Cup – which South Africa achieved at home in 1995 and away 2007 – would require playing "seven cup finals" over the next two months.
"All the opponents will be difficult and you have to approach each game as if it were a Final," the Bok mentor said, adding: "The challenge is to play seven great games in a row."
South Africa get their campaign underway when they face Japan in at the Brighton Community Stadium on Saturday (September 19), with their other pool opponents being Samoa, Scotland and the United States.
"We want to stay under the radar, if that is possible for us," Meyer told a media briefing, adding there he felt there are about 10 teams that can win the World Cup.
He had no hesitation in listing the defending champions, New Zealand, as pre-tournament favourites.
"One thing New Zealand have for them is their continuity," he said, adding: "They have more or less the same management team as the previous World Cup [in 2011], same captain and a similar team.
"There is a lot of continuity – obviously they are the favourites.
"However, if you look at some of the results in the last six weeks, then every team has lost [including the All Blacks] and it again shows it is what happens on the day.
"Every team can beat any team."
He said they prefer that New Zealand carry the favourites tag.
"We are at our best when we are underdogs," adding that the Boks have beaten every team home and away, except for New Zealand.
"The only team we have not beaten away from home is New Zealand.
"If we get our momentum from the outset, there is no reason why we can't beat any team on the day."
Although he is very close to finalising his team to face Japan in South Africa's tournament opener, Meyer said it will require "a fine balance".
There are a host of players coming back from injury that are in desperate need of game time.
"Most of the guys will be there [involved in the opening match], but one or two still need to put in some hard work," he said.
"We've studied Japan and it's not going to be easy.
"They bring a different challenge with a highly technical game. For us it is about taking off from the first game and building up momentum."
Meyer felt the scrums, mauls and the breakdown will be key to winning the World Cup.
"These are three areas that will determine the outcome of the tournament and we have spent a lot of time working on them," Meyer said.
@rugby365com
