Player ratings: Mixed bag
The changes to the French side definitely improved their chances, but South Africa were simply proved too good.
Jeremy Papier rates the French players!
15 Scott Spedding:
Impressive early start, scoring the first try of the night and continued to run hard at the defensive line.
7/10
14 Yoann Huget:
Early injury replacement by Nans Ducuing. Not enough time to be rated.
13.Damien Penaud:
Excellent debut by the young man. Well-deserved try scored towards the end of the game.
8/10
12 Gael Fickou:
Solid performance by Fickou, but when the traffic became heavy in the midfield he was a bit under pressure.
7/10
11 Virimi Vakatawa:
Not as much time on the ball but showed a few glimpses at times when he did carry the ball.
7/10
10 Francois Trinh-Duc:
Good performance by the French No.10. Running the ball hard at the defence and made good decisions at times. He did, however, make a mistake that led to a try early on.
8/10
9 Baptiste Serin:
Solid performance yet again. He earned his starting position and will most probably continue to occupy that position for France.
8/10
8 Louis Picamoles:
One strong run by the big No.8 but replaced soon after due to injury. Replaced in the 21st minute by Bernard Le Roux
2/10
7 Kevin Gourdon:
A very busy performance by the French opensider. He kept on working on attack and defence.
8/10
6 Yacouba Camara:
Picked up where he left off from last week's performance and worked tirelessly.
8/10
5 Romain Taofifenua:
Powerful carries early up by the big lock forward but struggled when the game picked up pace.
7/10
4 Yoann Maestri:
Worked hard at the breakdowns but did not carry as much as his partner
6/10
3 Rabah Slimani:
Struggled with his grip at scrum times but had a few good carries and made a few tackles.
6/10
2 Guilhem Guirado:
Solid performance by the captain. However, he could not inspire his team to a win over the Springboks. Had a few good carries and his line-out throws were good.
7/10
1 Jefferson Poirot:
Strong carries from the loosehead and he scrummaged well.
7/10
Replacements:
16 Clement Maynadier (On for Guirado, 74th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Eddy Ben Arous (On for Poirot, 58th min):
Came on and carried a few balls.
5/10
18 Uini Atonio (On for Slimani, 58th min):
Came on and carried a few balls.
5/10
19 Julien Le Devedec (On for Maestri, 73rd min):
Not enough time to be rated
20 Bernard Le Roux (On for Picamoles, 22nd min):
Early injury replacement but only got going in the 2nd half. Good carries and defensive work.
6/10
21 Antoine Dupont (On for Serin, 56th min):
Good performance by the replacement halfback. He picked up where Serin left off.
7/10
22 Jean-Marc Doussain (On for Trinh-Duc, 74th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
23 Nans Ducuing (On for Huget, 13th min):
He did what he could in a losing cause.
6/10
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Photo: Wayne Seagreen
