Rassie Erasmus warns new 2027 World Cup format will be tougher than ever

The 2027 edition will be the largest World Cup since its inception. The event has been expanded to 24 teams and while the event becomes more global, it does pose an extra challenge for the teams vying for the coveted William Webb Ellis trophy.

Top contenders now face an extra knockout match in the Round of 16. In addition, the Boks are poised to face either rival New Zealand or hosts Australia as early as the quarterfinals. Erasmus is all too aware of the pressure.

"I've been to four World Cups with the team, but I haven't been through that," he told the Boks' YouTube channel.

"Now, you can be knocked out there. And it's probably a good thing for lower-tier nations to have another chance. So if that's good for rugby, it's good pressure on all teams playing.

"There were was one tough pool game in the past, and then there was a quarter-final, semi-final, final. But the World Cup became now five really tough games. It's almost tougher than the Rugby Championship."

There are seven RWC matches between the Boks and a succcessful title defence. Australia is not a small country, with some internal flights being over four hours. The Boks are yet to learn their base, but arduous travel time between games looks almost certain.

"I'm more worried about the travelling time and where you're based. And all of those things haven't been cleared up," added Erasmus.

"Charles Wessels, our general manager, is busy with that. Currently, if you play a game in Perth and you fly from Perth to Sydney. I think that will be the tough part of the draw. So having your guys battle-ready, I mean, Georgia is going to physically give it to you. Romania is going to physically give it to you.

"I really think Italy is on the up. And we can always intensify the training sessions, because we've got 33 players that all can start for you."

But Erasmus isn't looking too far ahead. The 2026 season poses new challenges for the Boks in the inaugural Nations Cup and the highly anticipated Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Tour.

"We're thinking of next year first, and I can't answer you a different answer, because I will be lying," continued Erasmus.

"It's a new competition, the Nations Cup. It's something that's in there. We are trying to build our team, and we are a really competitive team who can win it, in 2027.

"But you can lose that sort of favourite tag very quickly, if you have a bad year, the year before the World Cup. So I don't think the team has ever responded negatively to pressure. The British and Irish Lions series, through COVID, against the world in 2019, 2023. Hopefully that doesn't dry up before we get to the World Cup."

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