Best finish
They won the World Cup at their first attempt, on home soil in 1995 after being barred from the previous two tournaments, then won it again in France in 2007.
Last time
Going into the event as defending champions, they won all four pool matches but then lost their quarter-final to Australia by two points.
Coach
Heyneke Meyer, once head coach of Leicester Tigers, has been in charge since the start of 2012 and has a winning record against most of his opponents, with the notable exception of the All Blacks, who have won six out of seven encounters with the Springboks since he took charge.
Key player
Stand-off Handre Pollard is only 21, but has already won a global title - the 2012 Junior World Championship - as well as being named World Junior Player of the Year in 2014. He is untested at this level, and is not guaranteed his place in the starting line-up, but if his pack ensure him of a decent amount of possession he might just light up the tournament.
Strengths
A vastly experienced squad contains three men with more than 100 caps each, and no fewer than nine who took part in the victorious 2007 campaign. A strong Springbok pack is a matter of national honour for many South Africans, and this year’s selection of forwards should be able to maintain that tradition. In the backs, the experienced Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen retain their ability to strike from long range.
Weaknesses
Some of the most experienced players in the squad are past their best or carrying injuries. The team as a whole tends to retreat into a forward-oriented game in a tight match, and while they have the power up front to get the better of lesser opponents, they increasingly lack the imagination needed to overcome the big guns such as Australia and New Zealand.
Prospects
They have had a troubled build-up to the tournament on two fronts, both on and off the field. Narrow defeats by the Wallabies and All Blacks in this year’s truncated Rugby Championship may not have been too calamitous, but then they lost to Argentina at home for the first time, to finish bottom of the table. Off the field, they were threatened with court action which would have forced them to surrender their passports and not travel to England. The attempt went nowhere - it was based on an accusation that the squad was not racially integrated enough - but was a reminder that in South Africa sport and politics always go hand in hand.
Still, while their preparation has been far from ideal, they are third favourites and retain an enviable ability to rise to the occasion. They should dispose of Japan comfortably enough in Brighton this weekend, but then face their two toughest matches, against Samoa and Scotland. They are capable of losing either, but should squeak through both, then end up by cementing their status as pool winners with a victory over the USA.
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