Five Reasons why Boks will topple France in ultimate 'grudge match'

OPINION: The Springboks take on France in the biggest match of Round Five of the Nations Championship at the Stade de France on Friday night.

While the Boks thumped the Azzurri 66-7 in Turin in the first round of the Northern Hemisphere leg, France outplayed Fiji 54-17 in Lyon.

South Africa and New Zealand are the only unbeaten teams in the cross-hemisphere competition, and the Springboks and Les Bleus top their respective Southern- and Northern conferences with two rounds remaining before the finals weekend at Allianz Stadium from 27 to 29 November.

Prior to their statement performance against the Italians, the Boks suffered a shock defeat to the Wallabies after three sensational victories over the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series and wins against Argentina in a one-off Test and England, Scotland, and Wales during the first three Nations Championship rounds.

France, meanwhile, won the Six Nations and lost two of their eight Tests played.

None of those past wins or losses, however, mean more than the result of this fixture.

The Springboks have handed France some of their most devastating defeats, including the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal in Paris, and when the French thought they could get revenge during the 2025 End-of-Year Test, the Boks left them disappointed yet again after defeating them 32-17 at the Stade de France.

So, with a blockbuster of a Test loading, we look at five reasons why the Boks will deny France the bragging rights once more.

1. France’s maul execution

France will know better than to lack in their driving-maul execution like they did at times.

While the maul is usually one of their sharpest weapons and proved a force again outside of those isolated moments – like when the Fijians buckled under the pressure of another driving maul, and France were awarded a penalty try and when Antoine Dupont scored the final try after peeling off the back of a maul – they had some uncharacteristic execution issues at the set-piece and will be made to pay for it should those kinds of errors slip in against the Springboks.

Both South Africa and France use their maul as a key try-scoring weapon, and it’s almost certain to be a big feature on Friday, just like it was the last time they met.

In their most recent clash, the Boks overcame a red card to orchestrate a final-quarter masterclass, with their dominant line-out and maul platform driving their second-half surge.

France’s line-out was also a strong attacking platform, but the Springboks had the edge.

It will come down to accuracy, and in that regard, it’s hard to imagine the Boks not winning that battle again this time.

*Continues below…

2. Boks’ winning run at Stade de France

The only thing that must be worse than being “robbed” in that quarterfinal, only to lose again at the same venue a year later, is consistently being defeated in your own backyard.

The Springboks have won nine of their last 10 Tests against France and their last four at the Stade de France, and while the iconic stadium in Saint-Denis is French rugby’s fortress, the Boks have produced many memorable performances against Les Bleus at the venue, most recently their comeback victory in 2025 and the one-point World Cup thriller before defeating England and New Zealand to retain the Webb Ellis Cup.

They have delivered some of the sport’s most iconic moments at Stade de France, including two World Cup triumphs.

Over the last four Tests between the sides at Stade de France, the Boks defeated France 32-17 in 2025, 29-28 in 2023 (World Cup), 29-26 in 2018, and 18-17 in 2017.

Stade de France is no doubt intimidating, but the Boks have managed to block out the noise in the toughest of circumstances.

There is certainly no negative mental factor for Rassie Erasmus’ men at the venue and, if anything, it will be the hosts who have to get over that mental block given their track record against the world champions.

3. Ability to win in different ways

The Springboks have metamorphosed from a physical beast fueled by suffocating defence and aerial and set-piece dominance to the complete rugby playing unit thanks to their attacking evolution.

No team are closer to “unbeatable” status than them.

Sure, there will be those who beg to differ after that shocker against the Wallabies, but the Boks’ ability to win in different ways and grind out wins even when they are far from their best is what makes them so dangerous.

Against Scotland in July, they overcame a scare from a plucky side to pull away late, and their ability to wear down the opposition with brutal, relentless physicality played a massive part in their series win over the All Blacks.

They have also put their attacking brilliance on full display multiple times this season, like in Baltimore – where they combined their power game with attacking width and creativity – and that perfect first half against Italy.

They can score sensational tries, but they can also lack the attractive attacking stats like metres- and carries made, offloads, and line breaks, and dominate teams with the “duller” work by turning territorial pressure into points and using their set-piece as a try generator.

Simply put, they can do it all.

4. Brutal Bok scrum

The South African scrum wasn’t at its obliterating best against Italy, but France haven’t been the scrummaging force of old, and they will have to be at their best if they want to avoid a painful time at the scrum against the premier Bok front row of Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, and Ox Nche.

Things shouldn’t get much easier when Thomas du Toit and Gerhard Steenekamp come off the bench.

This is an area where the Springboks can milk their dominance and rattle the French.

5. Bok backline’s ability to match French flair

If there is one game this weekend where gamebreakers won’t be in short supply, it’s this one.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was a showstopper in Turin, and while he was simply outstanding with some of his touches, he is no stranger to creating something out of nothing and pouncing on opportunities invisible to most other players.

He is an extraordinary talent for sure, but he is by no means the Boks’ only attacking threat.

While the forwards’ dominance allowed the backs to shine, those in single-digits looked just as threatening with ball in hand.

While France have attacking headliners all over the park, with Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and Yoram Moefana leading the charge, it is perhaps the one area where they could have outshone the Boks in the past.

Given the South Africans’ own ability to play at pace and deliver game-breaking blows, however, it should be an entertaining subplot.