France end Springboks' Nations Championship winning run

MATCH REPORT: France finally ended their long wait for a victory over South Africa at the Stade de France, claiming a dramatic 21-19 win in their Nations Championship Round Five clash on Friday.

Les Bleus had not beaten the Springboks at the Paris venue since 2005, but a fiery first-half performance proved enough to secure a historic victory.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!

The result handed France only their second win over the Boks in 11 encounters and keep them at the top of the Nations Championship Northern Hemisphere table.

For the Springboks, meanwhile, the narrow defeat marked their first loss in the inaugural Nations Championship campaign.

It was a clash of contrasting styles, with France’s attacking flair and running rugby dominating the first half, before South Africa’s power and physicality took centre stage after the break.

The hosts’ backline sparkled in the opening 40 minutes, with wings Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, alongside fullback Théo Attissogbe, each crossing the tryline in a scintillating first-half display.

However, South Africa’s forward power kept them within striking distance, with the visitors scoring twice through their formidable catch-and-drive.

Tries from hookers Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Malcolm Marx, followed by a close-range effort from replacement scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, saw the Springboks launch a spirited comeback after trailing 7-21 at the break.

But despite their second-half dominance, the Boks ultimately fell agonisingly short, with France holding on for a memorable victory.

It was a nervy start for the hosts, with Maxime Lucu first missing touch before France conceded a scrum penalty.

While the Boks failed to take advantage of those early mistakes, they certainly looked dangerous with ball in hand.

After five minutes of play, France gradually grew into the contest, putting together several phases inside the Springboks’ 22. However, a brilliant line-out steal by Lood de Jager brought the hosts’ attacking efforts to an end.

After 12 minutes, the scores remained locked at 0-0, but the Springboks were reduced to 14 men when De Jager received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Lucu.

It was a costly moment for the lock, who was sent off for a shoulder charge against France at the same venue last year.

France made full use of their numerical advantage, stretching the South African defence with some long passes before Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang dived over in the corner for the opening try. Lucu added the conversion to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Antoine Dupont then produced an incredible 50-22 to take France deep into the Springboks’ territory. The hosts retained possession from the resulting line-out and initially attempted to use their driving maul before shifting the ball wide.

Yoram Moefana’s pass went against the head of Kalvin Gourgues before bouncing forward, allowing Théo Attissogbe to pounce on the loose ball and score. Lucu added the extras to extend France’s lead to 14-0 after 25 minutes.

South Africa finally hit back. The visitors opted for a line-out and, after a powerful driving maul, Jan-Hendrik Wessels crashed over for the try. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the conversion to reduce the deficit to seven points.

The celebrations were short-lived, though, as Dupont’s perfectly weighted grubber kick sat up for Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who showed his blistering pace to race over the line and restore France’s 14-point advantage at 21-7.

With just five minutes remaining before the break, the Boks made a front-row change, introducing Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche.

The replacements made an immediate impact, winning a scrum penalty.

Lucu was then shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The Springboks took a line-out and went over the top to Kurt-Lee Arendse, who crossed the tryline. However, the effort was chalked off after the referee spotted an offside infringement at the line-out, allowing France to maintain their 21-7 lead at the break.

The Springboks were dealt another disciplinary blow when Jasper Wiese received a yellow card for a dangerous clean-out, which was later upgraded to red in the second stanza.

Despite being reduced to 14 men, the visitors piled on the pressure with a ferocious attacking spell. France winger Grandidier-Nkanang was also sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on.

South Africa drew first blood in the second half following a powerful carry from Damian de Allende, which created the opportunity for Cobus Reinach to dive over for the try.

The final 20 minutes were intense, with the Springboks enjoying sustained pressure inside the French 22. They had a scrum five metres from the tryline and, after several phases, shifted the ball wide before Pieter-Steph du Toit was held up over the line.

France had an opportunity to extend their lead, but Lucu pushed his kick wide and the score remained 21-14.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, France were reduced to 14 men when Régis Montagne received a yellow card for collapsing the maul.

The Springboks dominated the statistics in the second half, enjoying the majority of possession and spending long periods inside the French half.

Their pressure eventually paid off. Following a well-executed line-out, Marx powered over at the back of a driving maul to bring South Africa within touching distance.

However, Manie Libbok missed the conversion, leaving the Springboks two points adrift.

The closing minutes were tense as South Africa searched for a match-winning score.

The Springboks had a possession and one final opportunity to turn their dominance into victory. However, they could not capitalise, and France’s Dupont made a steal before the ball got kicked to touch to seal a dramatic victory.

Player of the match: France captain Antoine Dupont gets our nod as Player of the Match after delivering a superb all-round performance. Operating at both flyhalf and scrumhalf, Dupont dictated the tempo of the contest and was instrumental in France’s attacking play. He produced a brilliant 50-22 to put France on the front foot and also provided the perfectly weighted grubber kick that set up Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try. A class act who kept the Springboks guessing throughout.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries: Grandidier-Nkanang, Attissogbe, Bielle-Biarrey,
Cons: Lucu 3

For South Africa:
Tries: Wessels, Reinach, Marx
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2

Yellow cards: Lood de Jager (South Africa, 12 – shoulder charge), Maxine Lucu (France, 39 – shoulder charge), Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (France, 48 – deliberate knock on), Régis Montagne (France, 68 – collapsing the scrum)

Red card: Jasper Wiese (South Africa, 43 – dangerous clean out).

Teams:

France: 15 Théo Attissogbe, 14 Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, 13 Kalvin Gourgues, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Antoine Dupont (captain), 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 François Cros, 5 Mickaël Guillard, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Sipili Falatea, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Régis Montagne, 19 Charles Ollivon, 20 Tom Staniforth, 21 Esteban Capilla, 22 Axel Desperes, 23 Emilien Gailleton.

South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)