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Cape Town - Scotland's attacking coach Scott Johnson believes they are capable of overcoming South Africa at the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
The Scots were on Monday drawn in Pool B, alongside South Africa and Samoa for the 2015 showpiece event. The other two qualifying teams for the pool are likely to be Japan and Canada (or the US).
And despite Scotland currently ranked at a lowly No 12 on the IRB rankings - 10 spots below South Africa and five below Samoa - Johnson is confident that his men can top their pool.
“We’ve shown form in the last few years that proves we can take the scalps of the big teams,” he told the scotsman.com website.
“Trying to determine what theirs or our side will look like in three years’ time is like determining how big, fat and ugly I’ll be in three years’ time, which isn’t easy.
“The fact is if we get our parts completely right, we’ll take on anyone on any given day. That’s what we’re aiming to do."
Johnson is a contender to take over as head coach after Andy Robinson recently resigned.
While South African fans might expect the Boks to cruise into the last eight, captain Jean de Villiers remains wary.
“Being used to the conditions definitely gives Scotland an advantage,” said De Villiers.
“It’s not too far from home for them so they’ll have a lot of support. We’ve had Samoa in every World Cup we’ve played. That will be another tough one.
“World rugby is getting closer and closer together and the guys are getting more competitive so by the time we hit 2015 it will be a great show for world rugby.”
The Boks beat Scotland 21-10 on their recent European tour.
Full RWC 2015 draw:
Pool A - Australia, England, Wales, Oceania 1, Repechage winner
Pool B - South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1, Americas 2
Pool C - New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Europe 1, Africa 1
Pool D - France, Ireland, Italy, Americas 1, Europe 2
Quarter-finals:
QF1: Winner of Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
QF2: Winner of Pool C v runner-up Pool D
QF3: Winner of Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
QF4: Winner of Pool D v runner-up C
Semi-finals:
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
The Scots were on Monday drawn in Pool B, alongside South Africa and Samoa for the 2015 showpiece event. The other two qualifying teams for the pool are likely to be Japan and Canada (or the US).
And despite Scotland currently ranked at a lowly No 12 on the IRB rankings - 10 spots below South Africa and five below Samoa - Johnson is confident that his men can top their pool.
“We’ve shown form in the last few years that proves we can take the scalps of the big teams,” he told the scotsman.com website.
“Trying to determine what theirs or our side will look like in three years’ time is like determining how big, fat and ugly I’ll be in three years’ time, which isn’t easy.
“The fact is if we get our parts completely right, we’ll take on anyone on any given day. That’s what we’re aiming to do."
Johnson is a contender to take over as head coach after Andy Robinson recently resigned.
While South African fans might expect the Boks to cruise into the last eight, captain Jean de Villiers remains wary.
“Being used to the conditions definitely gives Scotland an advantage,” said De Villiers.
“It’s not too far from home for them so they’ll have a lot of support. We’ve had Samoa in every World Cup we’ve played. That will be another tough one.
“World rugby is getting closer and closer together and the guys are getting more competitive so by the time we hit 2015 it will be a great show for world rugby.”
The Boks beat Scotland 21-10 on their recent European tour.
Full RWC 2015 draw:
Pool A - Australia, England, Wales, Oceania 1, Repechage winner
Pool B - South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Asia 1, Americas 2
Pool C - New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Europe 1, Africa 1
Pool D - France, Ireland, Italy, Americas 1, Europe 2
Quarter-finals:
QF1: Winner of Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
QF2: Winner of Pool C v runner-up Pool D
QF3: Winner of Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
QF4: Winner of Pool D v runner-up C
Semi-finals:
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
SF2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
