South Africa coach Nienaber expects fine margins to decide World Cup

The Rugby World Cup in France is set to be the most open in history, according to South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber, who says his Springbok side are better prepared now than when they lifted the trophy in Japan four years ago.

South Africa's stock rose on the back of a thumping 35-7 warm-up win over New Zealand in neutral London last week, a record defeat for the All Blacks, but Nienaber, who will join Leinster after the tournament, believes it will be all about fine margins at the World Cup.

"We have spoken about how close the contenders are," he told reporters on Friday. "A lot of teams are in a position to win it and I believe it is going to be the most tightly contested World Cup in history.

"The key thing is to make sure you are 100% ready for a match. If you are one or two percent off, the top teams will take advantage of that. We come in as defending champions, that is something we can’t hide from, you can’t shake that tag off. We must accept it."

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South Africa are in a tough Pool B with world number one Ireland and an in-form Scotland, who they meet in their opener in Marseille on 10 September. Only the top two advance to the quarter-finals.

Nienaber says they are not thinking about anything beyond the Scots.

"All our preparation has been about Scotland and nothing else. They are a very fit team and that is why they can play the game until the 85th minute. It is probably one of their big strengths.

"They also have a solid set-piece. To play with the amount of possession they