VIDEO: Realistic Rassie embraces World Cup pressure

Heading into a World Cup as defending champions bring with it additional pressure.

However, South Africa’s Director of Rugby Johan Erasmus believes the Springboks can join the All Blacks as the only teams to have successfully defended a title.

They have the opportunity to write another new chapter in the country’s inspiring World Cup history and become the first team to win the Webb Ellis Cup for the fourth time.

South Africa has an amazing World Cup history, an extraordinary tale that transcends sport.

One would not be South African if one cannot remember the 1995 World Cup, with Nelson Mandela in the No.6 jersey of Francois Pienaar.

Or captain Siya Kolisi parading with the trophy through the country in 2019.

Twenty nations are preparing for the World Cup and the Springboks are under no illusion about what awaits them in France in September and October.

The hosts, France, are the No.2 ranked team in the world, Australia has a new coach, and New Zealand is, well, New Zealand.

South Africa, at this stage, is ranked No.4, but – like New Zealand, Australia and Argentina – have a Rugby Championship to complete.

South African Director of Rugby Johan Erasmus spoke about the expectations the world has of the Springboks and the pressure they feel going into the Rugby Championship and warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup.

“We are under no illusions,” Erasmus told a media briefing at the team’s training base in Pretoria.

“It is Australia under Eddie [Jones], New Zealand, Ireland is No.1, France is No.2 and if you go right through to Scotland, currently No.5, we would be stupid to think that we’ve got that favourite tag. Definitely not, we know that.

“We are not even going to argue that because there is no sense in that,” Erasmus added.

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“We know realistically in 2019 we were definitely the underdogs.

“Yes, we are World Champions and we have to go and try to defend that.

“And we feel we have a good chance.

“The nice thing about this group is that they have been together for a really long time.

“We are realistic and we don’t often get dragged into what people are saying or thinking,” Erasmus said.

However, he did not deny that the players are feeling the pressure of expectation that goes with being the defending champions.

“We definitely feel the expectations on our shoulders, because people expect us to go and do it.

“And we are certainly going to try.”