The future looks bright for Erasmus’ side and, should they maintain current performance levels, the Boks will be serious contenders to win a third consecutive World Cup in 2027 – something that has never been done before.

Matfield credits the South African school rugby system and a large pool of youth players as being key elements in their dominance, and believes the fact that some Boks stars are playing abroad has also inadvertently boosted the domestic game.

“The base that we pick from these days is bigger than years back,” the former Bulls, Toulon and Northampton man said.

“With more Springboks playing outside the country, there is also more money to spend on development.

“Now we are a diverse team from everywhere in South Africa. The game is growing everywhere.”

That increased diversity means the team now has supporters from ethnic groups across all parts of the country, something which was not the case during the 1995 and 2007 Rugby World Cup wins when the team was still mostly made up of white players.