The Springboks open their Group B campaign against Italy at the Adelaide Oval on October 3, before clashes with Georgia in Brisbane (October 10) and Romania in Perth (October 17).
Should the four-time world champions top their pool as expected, they will stay in Perth for a Round of 16 clash against a third-place finisher from Groups D/E/F on October 23.
They will expect to make it through that, and then head across country to Sydney for a meeting with what is likely to be New Zealand or Australia on October 30.
The Springboks will face a five-hour flight and two-hour time difference, while the flight from Brisbane to Sydney for their opponents will be one-and-a-half hours with an hour time difference.
“The one thing that pops out looking at the schedule is that, should we progress to the playoffs, there will be travel between the round of 16 and quarter-final, which is something we have to factor into our planning, as the flight is just under five hours between Perth and Sydney, and there is a two-hour time difference,” Erasmus said.
“Over and above that, our likely opponents could be either Australia or New Zealand, and it would be good to see their travel schedules. But obviously, we have to make it through first, which will require a massive effort.”
That little moan aside, Erasmus says the schedule gives them time to put into place all they need to lift the trophy for an unprecedented third time in succession.
“It’s pleasing that we now know where and when we are playing, and we are fortunate that we have played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney in the last few years in the Rugby Championship,” Erasmus said.
“We can now go full steam ahead with our planning and preparation for the tournament, and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we are as fresh and well prepared as possible for the competition.
“Our operations and logistics team will start getting into the finer details of the travel in the coming weeks, with our pool matches being hosted in different cities, while the coaches and high-performance staff will start having in-depth discussions about how to manage the players during the tournament to get the best out of them on the field.
“There’s a lot of hard work ahead in the next 18 months, but we are all very excited for the tournament and we are looking forward to putting the building blocks in place this season and next year before we depart for Australia.”
Springboks’ potential 2027 Rugby World Cup fixtures:
Pool stages:
Sunday, 3 October – 14h15 (05h45 SA time): SA v Italy (Adelaide Oval)
Sunday, 10 October – 16h45 (08h45 SA time): SA v Georgia (Brisbane Stadium)
Sunday, 17 October – 19h15 (13h15 SA time): SA v Romania (Perth Stadium)
Round of 16:
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October (Perth Stadium/Docklands Stadium, Melbourne)
Quarter-finals:
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October (Stadium Australia, Sydney/Brisbane Stadium)
Semi-finals:
Friday 5 and Saturday 6 November: Stadium Australia, Sydney
Final:
Saturday 13 November – 20h00 (11h00 SA time): Stadium Australia, Sydney