The day Springboks received a standing ovation from French fans

SPOTLIGHT: Ahead of Friday’s mouthwatering Nations Championship encounter in Saint-Denis, Rugby365 contributor Wynona Louw looks at four iconic moments between France and South Africa.

2023: Cheslin Kolbe’s Charge-Down

South Africa edged France in a one-point thriller at the Stade de France during the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal, and Kolbe racing along the touchline and charging down fullback and former Toulouse teammate Thomas Ramos’ first-half conversion attempt to lock the scores at 12-all proved one of the most significant moments in the epic clash.

Rassie Erasmus’ men defeated the tournament hosts 29-28, a score that highlights the magnitude of the difference Kolbe’s block made.

It was a game that had it all, and the Springboks more than played their part in making it one of the most memorable matches in Rugby Union history.

There has been plenty of debate over whether Kolbe started his run towards Ramos before the French kicker began his run-up to the ball.

That ongoing discussion in itself relays just what a moment it was, and the mere fact that the speedster even thought to go for the challenge in such a routine part of the game showed his remarkable attitude and competitive spirit.

The fact that it paid off…well, that made it magical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htF6Pw6b52g

2023: Damian Willemse’s Mark and Scrum Call

When the Bok utility back bumped his fists together to signal a scrum from a mark in the same World Cup quarterfinal, he introduced an unprecedented moment as the Boks opted for a scrum in their own 22 after fielding a long kick.

The idea was to bring their powerhouse scrum into the game and disrupt France’s game plan by tiring out the hosts as opposed to just having kicking duels with the tactically savvy French while their forwards catch their breath.

While it worked as the Boks won a crucial scrum penalty after obliterating the French pack, the revolutionary move was decried as being against the spirit of the game by those who refused to appreciate the Boks’ innovation.

There may be varying stances on the call, and there are certainly those who try to deny its genius, but one thing that cannot be argued is how iconic and gutsy it was to pull something like that in a World Cup knockout, in your own 22, against the hosts who were the favourites to win the clash, no less.

Historic.

2018: Bongi Mbonambi’s Match-Winning Maul Try

This was a match in which the Springbok forwards and set-piece didn’t just lay the groundwork for victory, but reaped the rewards themselves.

After France dominated much of the game and led 26-22 with the clock in the red, they looked like certain victors, but the Boks launched one final attack before the forwards came through with a fine line-out and superb maul, with hooker Mbonambi peeling off the back to score the match-winning try.

It was a monster of a second-half comeback from the South Africans, who trailed 9-23 early in the second half.

1997: Standing Ovation for Boks After Parc des Princes Record Win

It must have been an outrageous performance by the Springboks for them to have received a standing ovation from a passionate French crowd at the Stade de France’s national-stadium predecessor, Parc des Princes.

The 52-10 triumph by the Boks was worthy of applause for a number of reasons.

It marked South Africa’s biggest-ever win against France, which was made even more significant by the fact that it was the last Test played at the venue before Les Blues moved their home base to the Stade de France. It was also the final Test match played by a number of French greats.

The hosts went into the match on a high after achieving a Grand Slam in that year’s Five Nations, but came completely undone by the seven-try Boks, with Pieter Rossouw crossing the tryline four times.

After the final whistle, the Springboks received a standing ovation for their performance from the 35,000-strong Parisian crowd.

It was, and still is, a rare occurrence and underlined the brilliance of the Springboks in that game.

Erasmus was a player then, and with the suspected lingering negativity in France after the last World Cup, the Boks are unlikely to enjoy such a moment again, but they can certainly deliver a performance worthy of that level of appreciation nonetheless.