The Springboks gear up for defence of Rugby World Cup crown

Defending champions South Africa trained Tuesday (Sep. 05) at the Ange Siccardi de Berg Training Centre in Toulon (France), ahead of the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Friday.

The 'Springboks' will begin their Pool B campaign against Scotland at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Sunday (Sep. 10) .

Fellow tournament favourites Ireland, first in world ranking, as well as Romania and Tonga, complete Pool B.

South Africa beat New Zealand in the final warmup for both rugby powers. The result galvanized the Springboks' hopes of back-to-back titles for the first time and winning a fourth Webb Ellis Cup that would give them the record outright  ahead of the All Blacks and be a fitting farewell to departing coach Jacques Nienaber.

However, some commentators say top-ranked Ireland and host nation France both provide compelling reasons to believe end they can end the southern hemisphere's 16-year dominance.