Romania won't be overawed by facing world champion Boks at World Cup, says head coach

The world champions were drawn in Pool B alongside Italy, Georgia, and Romania during Wednesday's World Cup draw in Australia.

The Boks have faced all three of their pool opponents in previous editions of the Rugby World Cups - Romania in 1995, 1999 and 2023, Georgia in 2003, and Italy in 2019.

Gérard said that, as exciting and daunting as the prospect of facing the defending world champions was, his team had to treat it as just another rugby match.

"If we prepare to play South Africa as if it's a dream to play the world champions, it will be a nightmare! We need to prepare every game to be competitive," Gerard said.

"We have to stop seeing the fact that we are playing them as an achievement. No, an achievement is if you compete with them, because it's still rugby.

"I'm not here as a tourist; I'm not going to Australia with people who just want to be there and enjoy being on TV. I want Romanian players who have the knowledge to sacrifice themselves for three games.

"If people think Romania will just focus on Georgia and Italy, I think that's disrespectful to the sport. If we respect rugby, we have to be competitive."

The Springboks also faced Romania in the pool stages of the 2023 World Cup in France, winning 76-0 on that occasion.

The 2027 World Cup will see 24 teams compete for the first time, up from 20 in previous editions. Teams were split into four bands according to their world rankings and then randomly drawn into six pools.

South African head coach Rassie Erasmus said he was happy with the draw as his team chase a historic third straight William Webb Ellis trophy.

"We are pleased with the pool we have been drawn in, but this is a World Cup, and every team will go out there with great passion and do their utmost to represent their nations with pride," Erasmus said.

"There have been surprises in the tournament before, so we'll need to be up mentally and physically for every match."

Although South Africa are one of the traditional heavyweights of international rugby and currently top the World Rugby rankings, Erasmus stressed that his pool rivals cannot be underestimated.

"Italy may be ranked 10th in the world, but they showed us what they are capable of when they hit their straps earlier this season, even though the scorelines may not have reflected that.

"Georgia and Romania are also extremely physical and passionate teams, and we've faced them before, so we know how tough they can be on the day if we give them space and opportunities to play to their potential."

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