One kick. That was all that separated the world champions from a draw they had spent forty minutes clawing towards. Manie Libbok’s conversion of Malcolm Marx’s late maul try hooked away, France survived the final minutes and the Stade de France roared. This was the France-Springboks result Paris had waited 21 years for: France 21, South Africa 19, Les Bleus’ first win over the Boks in their capital since 2005, SA Rugby noted.
The Springboks could also slip from the top of the southern hemisphere standings if New Zealand beat Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, SA Rugby noted, and Sky Sports and AP add that the No 1 world ranking would go with it.
The France-Springboks result Paris had waited for began with a yellow card
The game turned in the 12th minute. Lood de Jager was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Maxime Lucu just as the Boks were about to set an attacking scrum outside the French 22, and they spent the next 20 minutes pinned back.
France scored twice while De Jager sat out. Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang dived over in the corner in the 15th minute after 16 phases. Then the ball cannoned off the head of centre Kalvin Gourgues into the in-goal area and Théo Attissogbe beat Damian Willemse to it.
Rassie Erasmus had swapped his whole starting front row with the replacements before kick-off, Sky Sports and Daily Maverick reported, so it was Jan-Hendrik Wessels who spun off the back of a driving maul for the first Bok try. France replied almost at once. Peato Mauvaka broke from halfway and Antoine Dupont, the scrumhalf our France v Springboks preview found listed at 10, grubbered for Louis Bielle-Biarrey to win the race to the corner.
Lucu converted all three, then went to the sin bin himself for a high tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Just before the break Kurt-Lee Arendse darted over from a lineout strike, but the TMO ruled he had encroached the 10 metres before the throw. It stayed 21-7.
Down to 14, and one kick short
Four minutes into the second half it got worse. Jasper Wiese was shown a 20-minute red card for a dangerous clean-out, SA Rugby confirmed, on Gourgues according to Daily Maverick. The Boks played with 14 until the 65th minute.
Even a man down, they were getting on top. Jesse Kriel broke out from almost his own line, and Grandidier-Nkanang was yellow-carded for deliberately knocking the ball down to stop an overlap; Daily Maverick pointed out the Boks had two men spare and no penalty try was given. Cobus Reinach burrowed over from a metre out and Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion made it 21-14.
Pieter-Steph du Toit was held up over the line. Prop Régis Montagne went to the bin after another collapsed scrum, and from the penalty and lineout Marx drove over for his 32nd Test try, by SA Rugby’s count. Libbok, on for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, missed the conversion inside the last ten minutes. One last chance came in the final minute, but Bielle-Biarrey’s tackle jolted the ball from Kriel and Dupont pounced, Sky Sports and RugbyPass reported.
What Erasmus and Dupont said
Erasmus did not hide behind the cards. “With everything that went wrong, we sort of played ourselves into that hole. It wasn’t that France forced us into playing the way we did,” he told the post-match press conference, as reported by Rugby365 and RugbyPass.
He still saw a turning point before half-time: “The disallowed try of Kurt-Lee [Arendse] before halftime would’ve been game on.” Then, plainly: “I don’t think we have anyone to blame but ourselves.” To Rugby365 he added: “Those cards hurt us; it cost us in a big way.”
Dupont told ITV, as reported by Sky Sports: “We kept the intensity the whole game, and that’s a huge thing for us today.”
Why it matters, and what comes next
France had won only once in the previous ten meetings, SA Rugby noted, and our Springboks v France stats piece showed how the Boks had owned this fixture in Paris. That run is over.
There is a consolation: losing by fewer than seven points earns a bonus point, SA Rugby noted. But Daily Maverick and Sky Sports both say their place in the final at Twickenham is now in danger.
The questions for Erasmus are about the first half: two cards, three French tries in 17 minutes, and a late front-row reshuffle that Daily Maverick questioned. The 23 he named on Monday is in our Springbok team v France report.
Next up: Ireland in Dublin next Saturday.