🔗 Share this article

A number of triumphs deliver double significance in the message they communicate. Amid the barrage of weekend Test matches, it was Saturday night's score in the French capital that will linger longest across both hemispheres. Not only the conclusion, but equally the approach of success. To say that the Springboks shattered various established assumptions would be an understatement of the calendar.

Unexpected Turnaround

So much for the notion, for example, that France would rectify the unfairness of their World Cup quarter-final defeat. Assuming that going into the final quarter with a slight advantage and an numerical superiority would translate into inevitable glory. Despite missing their star man Antoine Dupont, they still had sufficient resources to restrain the powerful opponents at a distance.

As it turned out, it was a case of celebrating too soon too early. Having been 17-13 down, the 14-man Boks finished by registering 19 consecutive points, reinforcing their standing as a team who increasingly save their best for the most demanding scenarios. Whereas defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in the last quarter was a declaration, here was definitive evidence that the leading international squad are building an greater resilience.

Pack Power

If anything, Rassie Erasmus’s title-winning pack are starting to make everyone else look less intense by contrast. Both northern hemisphere teams experienced their promising spells over the two-day period but lacked entirely the same earthmovers that thoroughly overwhelmed the French pack to landfill in the final thirty minutes. Some promising young home nation players are developing but, by the conclusion, Saturday night was hommes contre garçons.

What was perhaps even more striking was the psychological resilience underpinning it all. Missing Lood de Jager – given a 38th-minute straight red for a high tackle of Thomas Ramos – the South Africans could potentially faltered. Instead they just regrouped and set about pulling the demoralized French side to what one former French international described as “extreme physical pressure.”

Leadership and Inspiration

Post-game, having been borne aloft around the venue on the gigantic shoulders of the lock pairing to mark his hundredth Test, the team leader, the flanker, yet again highlighted how a significant number of his players have been obliged to conquer life difficulties and how he wished his squad would in the same way continue to inspire people.

The insightful an analyst also made an shrewd comment on sports media, stating that Erasmus’s record progressively make him the rugby's version of the legendary football manager. If South Africa succeed in claim a third straight world title there will be no doubt whatsoever. Should they come up short, the intelligent way in which Erasmus has rejuvenated a possibly veteran squad has been an object lesson to everyone.

Young Stars

Take for example his emerging number 10 the rising star who skipped over for the late try that decisively broke the home defense. Or the scrum-half, another half-back with explosive speed and an keener vision for space. Undoubtedly it is an advantage to operate behind a massive forward unit, with the inside back riding shotgun, but the continuing evolution of the South African team from scowling heavyweights into a team who can also float like butterflies and deliver telling blows is extraordinary.

French Flashes

This is not to imply that France were completely dominated, in spite of their fading performance. Their winger's second try in the wing area was a clear example. The forward dominance that tied in the visiting eight, the glorious long pass from Ramos and the winger's clinical finish into the advertising hoardings all demonstrated the characteristics of a squad with considerable ability, even in the absence of Dupont.

However, that in the end was insufficient, which is a humbling reality for competing teams. It would be impossible, for example, that the Scottish side could have gone 17-0 down to the world champions and come galloping back in the way they did versus New Zealand. Notwithstanding the red rose's last-quarter improvement, there still exists a gap to close before the national side can be certain of competing with Erasmus’s green-clad giants with high stakes.

Northern Hemisphere Challenges

Beating an developing Fijian side proved tricky enough on match day although the next encounter against the the Kiwis will be the match that truly shapes their end-of-year series. The visitors are definitely still beatable, particularly without their key midfielder in their midfield, but when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities they remain a step ahead the majority of the European sides.

The Thistles were especially culpable of failing to hammer home the decisive blows and doubts still apply to the red rose's optimal back division. It is all very well finishing games strongly – and far superior than fading in the closing stages – but their commendable winning sequence this year has so far shown just one success over world-class sides, a narrow win over Les Bleus in the winter.

Future Prospects

Hence the weight of this next weekend. Reading between the lines it would appear various alterations are likely in the matchday squad, with experienced individuals returning to the lineup. Among the forwards, likewise, first-choice players should all be back from the beginning.

But everything is relative, in sport as in life. In the lead-up to the next global tournament the {rest