Right. The Cheetahs won the Currie Cup so Step 1 is complete. If the Boks can now win the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, it will be exactly the same scenario as 2019, and World Cup glory is assured!
Well, not really, but we can dream.... Being a World Cup year though, it is once again a shortened schedule for the Rugby Champs this year. Good news for Bok fans is that there are two home games, and Gauteng fans will be even happier knowing they are both up on the Highveld.
Plenty of interesting scenarios as well: Handre Pollard is out injured, so there's a chance for other flyhalves to shine; captain Siya Kolisi is with him on the sidelines, so the captaincy for these matches will be loaned out; the Bok squad will be split in terms of who plays certain matches, and Australia are being prepared by Eddie Jones - a man who knows just a little about the Bok culture....
So here is the full schedule for this year's competition, and how you can watch on SuperSport on DStv (all times CAT). Click on the banner above to check out the right package for you.
CASTLE LAGER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2023
Saturday, 8 July
South Africa v Australia, 5:05pm: CSN, Grandstand and SS Rugby
Argentina v New Zealand, 9:10pm: CSN, Grandstand and SS Rugby
Saturday, 15 July
New Zealand v South Africa, 9:05am: CSN and SS Rugby
Australia v Argentina, 11:45am: CSN and SS Rugby
Sunday, 29 July
Australia v New Zealand, 11:45am: CSN and SS Rugby
South Africa v Argentina, 5:05pm: CSN and SS Rugby
The best tries from the 2022 Rugby Championship