France
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.
01:15
Ex-South African president to appeal order to proceed with graft trial
01:22
ANC closes ranks around Ramaphosa as impeachment pressure mounts
00:51
Gabon move to acquire stake in international manganese-mining company
01:05
Macron arrives in Ethiopia ahead of high‑level AU talks
01:17
Ghana to repatriate hundreds of citizens from South Africa
02:15
South Africa's luxury boat industry turns to Europe as US market weakens