SA Schools just manage

It was four Curwin Bosch kicks to a Thomas Darmon try.

At half-time SA Schools led 9-0 after playing with the breeze. France thus won the second  half 5-3 and twice they had possible tries turned down on advice from the TMO. The first time it was the result of a rare miracle.

Obviously the South African defence was more than adequate but at times it depended more on numbers than technique. There was one exception – the smallest player on the field.

First it was a burly Frenchman who beat two South Africans before Embrose Papier scythed him down. But that was on the half-way line. The second was in the South African in-goal.

South Africa had the ball and passed, poorly, to their left where centre Nathan Decron intercepted and headed for the goal-line. The only South African who hared after him was Papier. As Decron reached the goal-line Papier tackled him from behind and the two came to ground in in-goal rolling over. The TMO's examination revealed that Decron had lost the ball in rolling over and so it was a five-metre scrum to South Africa.

That may just have been the decisive moment in the match because at that stage South Africa were leading 12-0 and France were well and truly on top.

Right throughout the match, France's speed on defence upset the South African side whose backs had no rhythm. As soon as the scrum put hands on the ball, the French defenders moved up at speed. If the scrumhalf's pass was in any way slow – picking up the ball, taking steps with the ball – the backs had no chance. It was the South Africans' strength and defence that kept them on top – that and penalties against France, especially tackle-related ones.

Curwin Bosch, playing fullback, kicked penalty goals after 2 minutes, 23 minutes and 26 minutes, the second one when South Africa went through 17 phases and France went offside.

The half-time score was 9-0.

At the start of the second half the South Africans were on top and Bosch made the score 12-0 from a scrum penalty.

Nico Lourens had a rare chance to run with the ball and got his side on the attack. South Africa went wide left and Wandisile Simelane was forced out at the corner. (Simelane was brilliant on defence especially under the high ball.)

Then France got on top, as they had done against England on Friday. Papier worked his magic and from the scrum Kwezi Mafu, a substitute at eighthman, was caught on the line but the South Africans got the ball back to Bosch who kicked them out of trouble, as he did regularly.

France won the line-out and mauled ahead but were forced out and South Africa had a line-out five metres from their line and they managed to battle their way away from their line.

A penalty to France became a line-out to France which became a maul. The maul collapsed and Ruben de Villiers was sin-binned for doing so. France mauled from another five-metre line-out and got over the line. The referee asked the 'try, no try' question and the  TMO could not find evidence that a try had indeed been scored.

From the five-metre scrum France went wide left  where flyhalf Thomas Darmon scored. When France missed the conversion there were some three seconds left. South Africa kicked out on the full – scrum to France. France ran. South Africa tackled. South Africa were penalised for being offside. France tapped and ran but when they were at the South African 22, they knocked on and the final whistle thwarted their endeavours.

Scorers

For SA Schools:

Pens: Bosch 4

For France:

Try: Darmon

Teams

South African Schools: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Nico Leonard , 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Heino Bezuidenhout, 11 Wandisile Simelane, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Ernst van Rhyn (captain), 6 Cobus Wiese, 5 Ruben de Villiers, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Ashwyn Adams

Replacements: 16 Nico Peyper, 17 Cabous Eloff, 18 Dewald Maritz, 19 Kwezi Mafu, 20 Johan Visser, 21 Jondré Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Andell Loubser, 24 David Brits, 25 Manuel Ras, 26 Salmaan Moerat

France squad:  Fernandez Correa, Elyas El Ansari, Florian Dufour, Peato Mauvaka, Pierre Commenge, Thomas Laclayat, Daniel Brennan, Florent Revert, Mickael Capelli, Baptiste Pesenti, Kevin Kornath, Willy Ndiaye, Jessy Jegerlehner, Julien Ruaud, Valentin Sese, Baptiste Couilloud, Mickael Romera, Thomas Darmon, Maxime Alric, Nathan Torest, Lucas Tauzin, Nathan Decron, Selevasio Tolofua, Théo Millet, Nadir Megdoud, Romain Buros

Referee: Emanuele Tomo (Italy)

Assistant referees: Sindile Ngcese (South Africa), Ruan Meiring (South Africa)

TMO: Jason Jaftha