The Springboks will face New Zealand and Italy in the opening stage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup after being drawn in Pool B for the tournament.
Two-time winners Australia went into Pool D with Wales and Georgia, while Ireland will face Scotland and hosts Japan in Pool A.
New Zealand, the holders, are part of pool B, alongside Italy, "Repechage winner", "Africa 1" and, most mouth-watering of all, the 1995 and 2007 winners, South Africa.
Ireland have been drawn with Scotland and hosts Japan in a favourable draw for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Foster said he was relieved not to have drawn the short straw, as England will be lining up in Pool C dubbed as the "pool of death" with France and Argentina.
"Particularly that England, France, Argentina pool will be a bit of fun, but the fact that we've got a really big game in it is going to guarantee an edge for us".
Hansen appeared to play down English hopes of knocking the All Blacks off their perch as rugby's top side, after the 2003 champions drew France and Argentina among their pool rivals in 2019.
"France are improving and they are a unsafe team". Ireland are the top seeds in the pool, which will be completed by two qualifiers yet to be decided.
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France coach Guy Noves said the game against Argentina will be a "decisive" one, adding that France's goal will be to progress to the knockout rounds "in first or second place".
Twelve teams of an eventual 20 learned their fate at a glitzy draw ceremony in Kyoto, Japan's ancient capital, more than two years before the tournament starts. "We want to win the World Cup, that's our ambition".
If that's the case the victor of Pool B and victor Pool C will be aligned on the same side of the knockout draw - meaning a potential meeting against England in the semifinals.
"Everyone will get excited by it and we know each other pretty well", he said.
"I have never felt so fired up as I do now about my role in picking Japan's group", Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
The play-off place will be decided by a home-and-away tie between the third team in the Pacific Nations Cup and the second team (again, excluding Georgia) in the Rugby Europe competition.
"We will find out the details of which order we will play the teams in our pool and our venues in September which will kick-start the next phase of our detailed planning for the tournament".
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