South Africa returned to Paris yesterday carrying the tag of World Cup favourites after surviving a brutal weekend that claimed the scalps of New Zealand and Australia.

The Springboks almost came unstuck themselves against tiny Fiji before winning an absorbing quarter-final 37-20 to set up a semi-final clash with Argentina.

The South Africans were not at their best against the flamboyant Pacific Islanders and had to weather a late storm to avoid joining New Zealand and Australia on the casualty list.

But unlike the All Blacks and Wallabies, the Springboks regained composure when it really mattered and coach Jake White said his team were now perfectly placed going into the serious end of the competition.

"We're in the top four and we've got no injuries, we scored five tries (against Fiji)," White told reporters.

"What more do you want going into the last two weeks of the tournament knowing you still have a chance to win the World Cup?

"A lot of things can still happen but England beat Australia and France beat New Zealand and I'd much rather be where I am today than where those two countries are today."

The Springboks went into the World Cup with more optimisim than confidence after finishing at the bottom of this year's Tri-Nations standings.

They went through the pool stages undefeated, including a crushing 36-0 win over defending champions England, and are now the highest ranked team left in the competition after New Zealand lost to France and Australia were beaten by England on Saturday.

Bookmakers responded to the weekend carnage by installing South Africa as the new favourites to win the Webb Ellis Cup, just ahead of hosts France, the only one of the big five never to have won the title despite reaching the final in 1987 and 1999.

South Africa won the World Cup at home in 1995 in their first appearance at the tournament but the burden of expectation has subsequently weighed them down.

They were beaten by eventual champions Australia in an epic semi-final in 1999 then lost to England in the quarter-finals in 2003.

There is already a huge expectation in South Africa that the Boks are destined to win again this time although prop Os du Randt said the defeats of New Zealand and Australia were a warning not a blessing.

"Of course, it may make it a bit easier for us. It happens, that's the nature of rugby," he said.

"But I don't think any side gets easier when you get to this stage of the competition.

"It definitely doesn't get easier from here, you just have to give it your best."