‘Pool of Butter’ will battle harden Boks
Despite doubts over the competitiveness of their pool, the Springboks will go into the 2027 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals ready for their ultimate rivals.
The undoubted highlight of 2026 for South Africans will be the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, which will see the Springboks face the All Blacks four times.
This series will effectively set the narrative for what many expect to be next year’s World Cup quarterfinal in Sydney.
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Ben Smith, the New Zealander journalist with a penchant for getting a rise out of the staunchest Bok fans, took the opportunity this week to throw an early jab.
Posting on his social media account, Smith cast doubts over whether the Springboks will be fully prepared for the last-eight clash, given their World Cup pool.
“Pool B aka Pool Butter,” Smith tweeted. “SOFT as warm butter for the Springboks. They’ll put 60+ on these teams and it’ll make them weak.
“2019, NZ gave them the wake up call. 2023, Ireland humbled them. 2027, they’re going out in the quarters after being buttered UP.”
Pool B aka Pool Butter. SOFT as warm butter for the Springboks. They’ll put 60+ on these teams and it’ll make them weak. 2019, NZ gave them the wake up call. 2023, Ireland humbled them. 2027, they’re going out in the quarters after being buttered UP. pic.twitter.com/73hnQgDyOS
— Ben Smith (@bensmithrugby) February 3, 2026
The Springboks were last December drawn alongside Italy, Georgia and Romania.
It’s far from what the two-time defending world champions face in 2019 and 2023 – but it’s also important to note that it may not be as easy as it looks.
Italy’s position of 10th on the world rankings is deceptive. The Azzurri have been steadily growing over the past three years and deserve to be taken seriously.
Despite coming to South Africa in 2025 without a host of stars for the Incoming Series, Italy were seriously impressive with how they physically matched the Boks in the opening Test at Loftus Versfeld.
Openside flank Manuel Zuliani gave the Springboks a torrid time at the breakdown, as Italy fought back from a 21-3 half-time deficit to make it a more nervous finish than many would have expected.
The Boks did get a runaway 45-0 win in Gqeberha, but the return match in Turin in November was an even bigger indicator of Italy’s growth.
Armed once more with their full arsenal of Ange Capuozzo, Ignacio Brex, Monty Ioane, Paolo Garbisi and Stephen Varney, Italy proceeded to shred the Springboks, doing everything but crossing the whitewash in the first half.
Yes, the Boks were down to 14 men after Franco Mostert was given his marching orders, but even before that there were good signs for the Italians.
Those first 30 minutes were the most pressure the Boks had been under since their defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Until Grant Williams provided a timely impact off the bench, the game was deadlocked at 14-20.
Italy also scalped the Wallabies last year, held France to a famous draw in 2024, and were six points from humbling Ireland in the previous Six Nations.
There’s every reason to believe Italy will give the Boks enough of a tester before the play-offs.
As for Georgia and Romania, the Boks will get comfortable wins over both, but the Georgians especially have the pack to wrestle with the champs.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks have been drawn in a pool with Australia, Chile and Hong Kong.
The Wallabies have only won against New Zealand three times in the Rugby Championship era. That’s three wins out of 23. They have conceded 30+ points in nine games since 2021.
The Bledisloe Cup has rested comfortably on New Zealand soil for over 22 years (the second films of the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series were released in 2002 – for context).
Will the All Blacks really be more “battle-ready” than the Boks, given they have also been drawn with tournament debutants Hong Kong China?
If the Boks are expected to put “60+ points” on their pool opponents, can we expect the All Blacks to put 100+ on Hong Kong?
There’s every chance that the All Blacks could stand tall and beat the Boks, but that won’t be due to a lack of readiness from the South Africans, not with that coaching staff headed up by Rassie Erasmus.
These Boks don’t need a wake-up call to beat the All Blacks.
