Former international player Tom Evans of Scotland stated that the Springboks are the main contenders to win the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Although the South Africans may be considered favorites in 2026, the opinion of the former Northern Hemisphere player gives this prediction more weight.
Despite few players from Ireland predicting the Boks' victory for an unprecedented third consecutive time, Tom Evans, a former Scottish winger, considers South Africa the strongest team. Evans has a close geographical connection to South Africa, as he was born in neighboring Zimbabwe (Harare) in 1985 and played several matches for Scotland between 2008 and 2010.
Following South Africa's convincing victory over the All Blacks in the test series, Evans highly praised the team of Rassie Erasmus. He told Betway: 'South Africa is my favorite in the World Cup; followed by New Zealand and Scotland.'
Although Scotland currently ranks sixth in the World Rugby rankings, Evans insisted that his country could certainly contend for the title if the traditional favorites falter. He specified: 'South Africa should be first, then New Zealand, and I consider Scotland the third choice.'
The Springboks team is preparing to play against the host nation of Australia in Perth on Sunday. Evans' own career in top-tier rugby tragically ended at the age of 24 during a Six Nations match in 2010 against Wales after a severe neck injury that required emergency surgery to prevent paralysis.
After this serious incident, Evans briefly took up athletics in 2012, and later built a successful career in media, participating in popular television shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls. Evans shared his thoughts: 'When my rugby career ended, I felt like I lost my identity. But I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to participate in Strictly, and that show opened many doors for me.'