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Who will the Springboks face in the quarters? All the possible scenarios explained!

Cape Town - Who the Springboks will face in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, October 20 will only be decided following the completion of the Japan v Scotland Pool A clash on Sunday.

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Several permutations remain, so let Sport24 break it down for you.

What we know for sure:

- The Springboks finished as runners-up in Pool B and will as a result play the winners of Pool A in the quarter-finals.

- The Springboks can either play Ireland or Japan.

- As per World Rugby's tournament rules, if two teams are tied on log points, the tiebreaker is 'who won the pool match between those two teams'.

What we don't know for sure:

- Who the winners of Pool A will be!

- As it currently stands heading into the Japan v Scotland match, Ireland are top of the standings on 16 points (having completed their matches). Hosts Japan are second on 14, while Scotland trail on 10 - both with their final match to play on Sunday.

- Should Japan beat Scotland (with a bonus point or not), Japan will finish top of the standings and will play the Springboks in the quarter-finals.

- Should Japan lose to Scotland, but pick up 2 bonus points (for losing by 7 or fewer points and scoring 4 tries), Japan will finish top of the standings by virtue of the fact Japan beat Ireland 19-12 in their pool match - and will play the Springboks in the quarter-finals.

- Similarly, should the match be cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis OR end in a draw after 80 minutes, both sides will pick up 2 points and, as above, Japan will play the Springboks in the quarter-finals.

- Should Japan lose to Scotland, but pick up 1 bonus point (for either losing by 7 or fewer points or scoring 4 tries), Ireland will finish top of the standings and will play the Springboks in the quarter-finals.

- Should Japan lose to Scotland and pick up no bonus points, Ireland will finish top of the standings and will play the Springboks in the quarter-finals.

For what it's worth, leading SA bookmakers Sportingbet have Scotland as 3-point favourites.

The all-important Japan v Scotland match at the International Stadium in Yokohama will kick off on Sunday at 12:45 SA time.

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