The Springboks displayed their reigning world champions' resilience, fighting back from a six-point deficit and the first-half dismissal of lock Lood de Jager to overwhelm France 32-17 in a physical Autumn international on the weekend.
Down a man for the whole second half, the South African side withstood initial onslaught before overwhelming the French through raw power and composure, quieting a boisterous Stade de France anticipating revenge for France's World Cup heartbreak.
Two years after their painful 29-28 World Cup quarter-final loss to the Springboks on home soil, Les Bleus looked determined to make amends even without their unavailable captain Antoine Dupont. But the home side, now on a four-match winless run, cracked under the strain as their discipline fell apart despite the Springboks being losing a player on the stroke of half-time.
Les Bleus' Strong Start
The French coach's side looked irresistible in the opening stages as wing Damian Penaud crossed for two tries to become his nation's record try-scorer with 40, overtaking Serge Blanco's long-standing record.
A succession of ill-disciplined penalties and a expensive sin-binning, however, handed the initiative to the visitors who punished every mistake in clinical fashion.
The Springboks responded with tries from Cobus Reinach, André Esterhuizen, Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who also slotted two penalty goals and three extra points.
Turning Point
It had all begun promisingly for the hosts. The No. 15 Thomas Ramos kicked a expertly placed grubber over the defensive line after four minutes which Penaud gathered to score. The flyer added another soon after, diving into the corner to extend the advantage, and when De Jager was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Ramos, France seemed in complete command despite being only a single point ahead.
Then came South Africa’s impressive comeback through a mixture of clinical attacking and unbreakable focus.
The France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey was sent to the sin-bin for a intentional knock-forward, and the world champions pounced.
Esterhuizen powered over from a driving maul after the Springboks had opted to go for the lineout after being given a infringement, before Williams darted through a fractured defensive line for a further score as the momentum shifted dramatically.
Sealing the Win
With the French shaken and conceding a stream of infringements, Feinberg-Mngomezulu completed a memorable recovery, rounding the defenders on the outside and diving over the line before adding the extras to his own score.
The Springboks have now defeated Les Bleus in 9 of their past 10 meetings. The French team next face Fiji in the French city on the coming weekend while South Africa head to face the Italians.
