World Rugby slammed as ridiculous Springboks vs All Blacks situation emerges
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Ridiculous.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has slammed a potential Rugby World Cup scenario that could see either South Africa or New Zealand eliminated at the quarter-final stage next year.
The Springboks and All Blacks currently occupy the top two positions in the world rankings and are battling it out in the Greatest Rivalry series, with South Africa leading 2-1 ahead of Saturday’s final Test in Baltimore.
Despite their current standing, the structure of the 2027 World Cup means the two rivals could find themselves facing each other in the last eight if the tournament goes according to how many expect it will.
It would guarantee that one of the world’s leading two sides fails to reach the semi-finals.
Speaking on SuperSport, former Springbok captain Victor Matfield expressed his disappointment at the prospect.
“It’s a pity for me that we’ll probably face each other in that quarter-final in the World Cup,” Matfield said.
Mallett went considerably further with his assessment.
“It’s scandalous; it’s not a pity.”
Matfield believes the current quality of the Springboks and All Blacks makes the prospect particularly frustrating.
“It’s the two best teams in the world; they should get to a final if they win all the games.”
Mallett also rates the two rivals as the standout sides in the international game at present.
“My view is that they are the top two in the world at the moment, and we can beat anyone. In fact, we’d be very disappointed to lose to anyone at the moment, apart from the All Blacks,” he said.
Before attention turns to next year’s World Cup in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand still have unfinished business in their current series.
The Springboks head to Baltimore with an opportunity to complete a 3-1 series victory, while an All Blacks win would leave the four-Test contest level at 2-2.
