🔗 Share this article

Certain wins carry twofold importance in the statement they communicate. Among the flood of weekend international rugby fixtures, it was Saturday night's score in Paris that will linger most enduringly across the rugby world. Not merely the conclusion, but also the approach of achievement. To say that the Springboks overturned several comfortable beliefs would be an understatement of the calendar.

Shifting Momentum

So much for the theory, for example, that the French team would avenge the injustice of their World Cup quarter-final defeat. The belief that entering the closing stages with a slight advantage and an additional player would translate into certain victory. Even in the absence of their talisman their captain, they still had ample resources to restrain the big beasts at a distance.

Instead, it was a case of counting their poulets before time. Having been 17-13 down, the South African side with a player sent off concluded with racking up 19 points without reply, strengthening their standing as a team who increasingly save their best for the most challenging scenarios. While beating New Zealand 43-10 in the last quarter was a statement, now came definitive evidence that the leading international squad are building an even thicker skin.

Set-Piece Superiority

If anything, the coach's champion Bok forwards are beginning to make opposing sides look less intense by contrast. Both northern hemisphere teams experienced their promising spells over the weekend but did not have the same dominant forwards that effectively reduced the home side to landfill in the final thirty minutes. Some promising young French forwards are coming through but, by the final whistle, Saturday night was a mismatch in experience.

Perhaps most impressive was the psychological resilience driving it all. Missing the second-rower – given a dismissal before halftime for a dangerous contact of Thomas Ramos – the South Africans could easily have lost their composure. On the contrary they just united and began pulling the disheartened French side to what an ex-France player called “extreme physical pressure.”

Guidance and Example

Post-game, having been borne aloft around the Stade de France on the powerful backs of two key forwards to mark his 100th cap, the Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, repeatedly stressed how several of his players have been required to rise above life difficulties and how he wished his side would similarly continue to inspire people.

The insightful David Flatman also made an astute comment on broadcast, proposing that his results increasingly make him the rugby coaching equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson. Should the Springboks succeed in win a third successive World Cup there will be no doubt whatsoever. Even if they fail to achieve it, the clever way in which Erasmus has refreshed a experienced team has been an exemplary model to everyone.

New Generation

Look no further than his young playmaker the newcomer who sprinted past for the late try that effectively shattered the French windows. Additionally the scrum-half, a second half-back with explosive speed and an more acute vision for space. Of course it is an advantage to operate behind a dominant set of forwards, with the inside back providing support, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the South African team from intimidating giants into a team who can also display finesse and strike decisively is remarkable.

Glimpses of French Quality

This is not to imply that the French team were totally outclassed, in spite of their weak ending. Their winger's additional score in the far side was a prime instance. The forward dominance that engaged the visiting eight, the glorious long pass from the playmaker and the try-scorer's execution into the sideline boards all demonstrated the characteristics of a side with significant talent, even in the absence of their captain.

Yet that ultimately proved inadequate, which truly represents a sobering thought for all other nations. It would be impossible, for instance, that Scotland could have fallen behind by 17 points to the Springboks and fought back in the way they did against the All Blacks. Notwithstanding England’s strong finish, there still exists a distance to travel before the England team can be confident of standing up to the South African powerhouses with all at stake.

European Prospects

Overcoming an improving Fiji posed difficulties on match day although the upcoming showdown against the All Blacks will be the match that accurately reflects their end-of-year series. New Zealand are certainly vulnerable, especially missing their key midfielder in their midfield, but when it comes to taking their chances they remain a step ahead almost all the home unions.

The Thistles were particularly guilty of missing the chance to secure the decisive blows and question marks still surround the English side's ideal backline blend. It is fine finishing games strongly – and far superior than losing them late on – but their commendable undefeated streak this year has so far included just a single victory over world-class sides, a narrow win over Les Bleus in February.

Future Prospects

Therefore the importance of this upround. Interpreting the signals it would seem a number of adjustments are anticipated in the starting lineup, with experienced individuals coming back to the team. In the pack, similarly, regular starters should return from the beginning.

Yet everything is relative, in rugby as in existence. Between now and the 2027 World Cup the {rest