Jones predicts heavyweight battle as Boks renew France rivalry
INTERVIEW: Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones said he expects a heavyweight battle when South Africa face France in their Nations Championship clash on Friday.
The Boks haven’t lost to Les Bleus since 2022 and, barring last year’s 32-17 result, the games have always been decided within seven points since 2018, when Erasmus took charge of the National side.
*Also read: Springboks v France: The emotion, hostility and drama of the 2025 Test
Although the Boks have won the last four matches in their last five meetings, Jones believes it will be a close contest once more and a battle of the heavyweights given the quality of player personnel on both sides.
“It’s probably one of the toughest places in the world to come and play because firstly there’s the athletic contest,” Jones told Rugby365 on Tuesday from the Springboks’ hotel in Paris.
“You deal with two nations with some of the biggest depth and some of the best athletes in the world going at it.
“Secondly, I feel the way Fabien [Galthie] has set his side up alongside his coaching group he’s worked with for several years, there’s always this tactical battle that we have with France.
“We learn quite a lot from each other. I know the attacking game is evolving along with the [new] laws; we always learn a lot after playing against France.
“These games have always been quite close between the two nations, and it’s always been high-profile games, which led to this mini rivalry that’s existed.
“It’s a really healthy rivalry in terms of the occasion; it’s going to be quite intense, and we enjoy that.
“We enjoy the [crowd’s] singing, the music and the overall intensity and for all those reasons it’s a great occasion.”
Continues below…
France got off to a fast start in their last two meetings, including the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal, with the Boks managing to secure victory in the final quarter.
Jones expects Fabien Galthie’s troops to try and do the same thing this weekend and find ways to close the game out instead of letting it slip, as they did in the past two meetings between these sides.
“The last two times we played against France, they managed to get a fast start on the scoreboard and always led the game around the 60th minute mark.
“We’re anticipating something similar from a starting point of view and a lot of intensity in the collisions.
“The last few times we’ve played against France, they blocked our attacking kicks and tried to find space in behind us.
“And only in the last 20 minutes we’ve managed to overcome those obstacles.
“I’m sure they’re talking about those elements as well, where they should make a plan in those final 20 minutes of the game to keep us out.
“But it’s a mindset, it’s an intensity, but it’s also tactical.
“You can have all the emotion, but if the tactics aren’t there, it’s wasted energy, so we’re anticipating them to bring a bit of both.”
Which Les Bleus side will turn up on Friday night? 👀🇫🇷
Link to the story: https://t.co/PZjPlvkHoC
🌐#Rugby365 #FRAvRSA #NationsChampionship2026 https://t.co/DDDzQBgt7m
— Rugby365 (@rugby365com) November 10, 2026
Catch up on the full match replay of the Wallabies vs Springboks Test from Perth!
Watch now on RugbyPass TV (US only)
