🔗 Share this article

Some victories carry double importance in the statement they convey. Amid the flurry of weekend Test matches, it was Saturday night's outcome in Paris that will echo most profoundly across the globe. Not just the conclusion, but also the approach of victory. To suggest that South Africa demolished a number of comfortable beliefs would be an understatement of the season.

Unexpected Turnaround

Discard the idea, for instance, that the French team would rectify the unfairness of their World Cup last-eight loss. Assuming that going into the closing stages with a small margin and an extra man would lead to assumed success. Despite missing their star man Antoine Dupont, they still had sufficient strategies to restrain the strong rivals at a distance.

On the contrary, it was a case of assuming victory prematurely. Having been 17-13 down, the South African side with a player sent off concluded with racking up 19 points without reply, strengthening their reputation as a side who more and more save their best for the most demanding circumstances. Whereas defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in earlier this year was a statement, now came conclusive proof that the top-ranked team are building an more robust mentality.

Set-Piece Superiority

If anything, the coach's champion Bok forwards are increasingly make opposing sides look laissez-faire by contrast. The Scottish and English sides each enjoyed their moments over the recent fixtures but did not have the same earthmovers that thoroughly overwhelmed the French pack to landfill in the final thirty minutes. Several up-and-coming young France's pack members are emerging but, by the conclusion, the match was men against boys.

Perhaps most impressive was the mental strength supporting it all. In the absence of Lood de Jager – shown a 38th-minute straight red for a dangerous contact of Thomas Ramos – the Springboks could easily have become disorganized. Instead they merely united and set about taking the disheartened boys in blue to what an ex-France player called “the hurt locker.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Afterwards, having been hoisted around the venue on the gigantic shoulders of two key forwards to mark his hundredth Test, the South African skipper, Siya Kolisi, once again highlighted how many of his squad have been required to rise above personal challenges and how he wished his side would in the same way continue to motivate others.

The insightful an analyst also made an perceptive observation on broadcast, proposing that Erasmus’s record increasingly make him the rugby coaching equivalent of the Manchester United great. In the event that the world champions manage to claim a third straight world title there will be absolute certainty. Should they fall short, the intelligent way in which Erasmus has rejuvenated a possibly veteran team has been an object lesson to all.

Emerging Talent

Look no further than his young playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who sprinted past for the decisive touchdown that effectively shattered the French windows. Or Grant Williams, a further backline player with lightning acceleration and an keener eye for a gap. Of course it helps to operate behind a dominant set of forwards, with the powerful center adding physicality, but the steady transformation of the South African team from scowling heavyweights into a side who can also float like butterflies and strike decisively is extraordinary.

French Flashes

This is not to imply that France were completely dominated, in spite of their limp finish. Their winger's additional score in the right corner was a good illustration. The set-piece strength that tied in the South African pack, the superb distribution from the playmaker and the try-scorer's execution into the sideline boards all displayed the traits of a team with notable skill, despite missing their star man.

However, that ultimately proved insufficient, which truly represents a daunting prospect for all other nations. It would be impossible, for instance, that the Scottish side could have trailed heavily to the world champions and come galloping back in the way they did against the All Blacks. Despite the red rose's late resurgence, there remains a distance to travel before the national side can be certain of standing up to the South African powerhouses with everything on the line.

Northern Hemisphere Challenges

Beating an developing Fijian side was challenging on match day although the next encounter against the New Zealand will be the match that accurately reflects their end-of-year series. The All Blacks are definitely still beatable, notably absent an influential back in their center, but when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities they are still a cut above almost all the European sides.

The Thistles were notably at fault of failing to hammer home the killing points and uncertainties still apply to the red rose's perfect backline combination. It is fine finishing games strongly – and much preferable than fading in the closing stages – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far shown just one success over world-class sides, a one-point home victory over the French in the winter.

Future Prospects

Thus the weight of this next weekend. Reading between the lines it would look like various alterations are likely in the team selection, with established stars returning to the side. In the pack, in the same way, familiar faces should return from the beginning.

However everything is relative, in competition as in life. From now until the upcoming world championship the {rest