ONLY four nations have won the Rugby World Cup since it was first held back in 1987.

But, as the countdown to this year's tournament reaches the 100-day mark, one man who knows what it takes to lift the trophy believes there are as many as seven genuine contenders for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Granted, there is an awful lot of rugby still to be played before the competition begins, which means a host of unwanted 'opportunities' for key players to be injured. It is therefore too early for precise predictions about how the tournament will pan out.

But, with that caveat firmly in place, John Smit, captain of the victorious Springboks side of 2007, is none the less sure that there will be more realistic hopefuls this autumn than ever before. "There are a number of teams with a serious chance of winning the World Cup this time round," Smit, now chief executive of the Sharks, told the Herald in a break from judging a competition to recruit a mascot to accompany the Springboks to the World Cup. "And I would say far more teams this year than ever before.

"Of course, when it comes to the big matches it all depends on which squad has lost key players to injury - either earlier in the tournament or during the warm-up games before it. But, from a South African point of view, I'm reasonably optimistic about the strength in depth of our squad."

A dozen years before Smit's team triumphed in France, the Springboks won the cup at the first time of asking, after having been excluded from the first two tournaments as one of the sanctions imposed on the apartheid regime. New Zealand won the first competition, in 1987, and come to this year's event as holders. Australia became the first country to win the cup twice when they added their 1999 victory in Wales to the one eight years earlier in England. And England are so far the only Northern Hemisphere nation to have broken the dominance of the big three from the south, having won on Australian soil in 2003.

Smit is sure that those four previous winners will be in contention again, but he would add three other Six Nations side to the mix. "Ireland, without a doubt, have a chance. The depth of their squad is an issue, but if they keep their key players fit they'll be dangerous.

"France will be contenders. You never know what to expect from them, but they've got some really talented players, and if they play to form they can beat anyone on their day.

"And I'd include the Welsh in the list of possible winners, too. This Wales team has had some good wins against some of the biggest teams, so again, you can't write them off."

The Springboks are in Pool A, the easiest of the four qualifying groups, in which they will play Scotland, Samoa, the USA and Japan. But, while his old team will be hot favourites to go through to the knockout stages, Smit warned against taking those other teams lightly - particularly Scotland, whose head coach he knows well from his time playing in France.

"I'm a massive fan of Vern Cotter, and have been ever since I played for him at Clermont. He's old school - there's no messing about with Vern - and Scotland under him are only going to get better and better.

"But anyway, whether it's Scotland or the USA, Samoa or Japan, every team you play poses a threat. And to go into a World Cup thinking you will have easy games is a very rash thing to do."

Of course, the big advantage that former winners have is the self-confidence that comes from having been over the course before, and the knowledge of how to beat their rivals. In that sense, prevailing in the World Cup is just repeating what you have done earlier that year, or at least in the previous couple of seasons.

But it is not quite as automatic as that sounds, because, while the Springboks may know what it takes to beat the All Blacks and the Wallabies, those two nations likewise have experience of getting the better of their big rivals. So what makes the difference on the big occasion?

"It's really all about embracing the pressure," Smit added. "Embracing what you need to do to win, and not shy away from it. You've got to stay ice cold, and remind yourself that you're part of the same line-up that has won games so many times in the past."

The need to stay ice cool was certainly paramount in the 2007 final, when South Africa came up against an England team whom they had already trounced 36-0 in the pool stages. England had improved a fair deal by the final, a fact which led the South Africans to adopt an unusually defensive frame of mind - almost as if the final were the second part of a two-leg play-off in which they had already accrued a substantial advantage.

"In that '07 final we were far more guarded," Smit recalled. "Mentally it was all about staying eight points ahead. There was a lot more pressure on us because we had had that big result in the pool."

England won back a lot of the respect they had lost as a result of that earlier defeat, but the Springboks were still strong enough to prevail 15-9. Smit went on to captain his country to a series win over the Lions and to accumulate 111 caps - 98 at hooker, 13 at prop - yet that moment at the Stade de France stands alone as the supreme achievement of a remarkable career.

"Playing for the Springboks was a big chapter in my life, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that playing in that final was the pinnacle. The 20th of October 2007 is a date that's etched in my memory as something very special to be cherished."

Seven men have that precious memory of lifting the cup as captains of their country: David Kirk, Nick Farr-Jones, Francois Pienaar, John Eales, Martin Johnson, Smit himself, and Richie McCaw. We will find out later this year which of his seven nominated contenders - or even a surprise outsider - has what it takes to add an eighth man to that list.

John Smit is a Land Rover ambassador. Land Rover, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, will be recruiting two official Rugby World Cup 2015 mascots at Highland RFC on Sunday 14. Follow @LandRoverRugbyfor more details #WeDealInReal