France beat South Africa 21-19 at the Stade de France on Friday 13 November in round 5 of the Nations Championship. It was their first win over the Springboks in Paris since 2005. Les Bleus led 21-7 at half-time and then did not score again, holding on against a 14-man South Africa side that won the second half 12-0.
How France won it, and nearly lost it
The first half was as good as France have played in a long time. Wing Aaron Grandidier Nkanang scored in the 14th minute while South Africa lock Lood de Jager was in the sin bin. Full-back Theo Attissogbe added a second try in the 23rd minute, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey finished the third in the 31st after a kick from Antoine Dupont, who was making his first Test start at fly-half. Maxime Lucu converted all three.
The second half was a different match. Lucu was sin-binned on 39 minutes, Grandidier Nkanang on 49 and replacement prop Regis Montagne on 68, so France played 30 minutes a man down even though South Africa lost No 8 Jasper Wiese to a red card in the 43rd minute.
Centre Kalvin Gourgues had a chance to make it a three-score game, but he missed a penalty shot at goal. France didn’t kick a single penalty goal all night, and that miss would have left South Africa needing more than one score at the end.
Instead, Malcolm Marx’s try in the 71st minute cut the gap to two points, and France had to defend for the final nine. They made 173 tackles to South Africa’s 141. Dupont also stopped a certain try on his own line in the 65th minute, holding up Pieter-Steph du Toit in the in-goal area.
The numbers show how much France spent. They had 45% of the ball, made 309 metres to South Africa’s 598, missed 33 tackles and lost a third of their own lineouts.
France player ratings
15 Theo Attissogbe – 7
Scored France’s second try and made six tackles. He only made 8 metres from four carries, but there wasn’t much ball to run with after the break.
14 Aaron Grandidier Nkanang – 7
France’s top metre-maker, with 63 from 10 carries, plus two line breaks and the opening try. His yellow card on 49 minutes let South Africa back into it, and Cobus Reinach scored a minute later.
13 Kalvin Gourgues – 5
Made 36 metres and a line break, but his missed penalty could have finished the game as a contest. He was replaced by Emilien Gailleton at 57 minutes.
12 Yoram Moefana – 8
Made 15 tackles, won two turnovers and beat three defenders. He did most of the hard work in midfield.
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 9
Scored the try that put France 21-7 up and added 51 metres, a line break, three defenders beaten, 10 tackles and a turnover. He was one of France’s most dangerous runners and one of their busiest defenders.
10 Antoine Dupont – 9.5
Player of the match in his first Test start at fly-half. He made 60 passes, more than anyone else on the pitch, and 21 kicks from hand, more than South Africa’s half-backs managed between them. He set up Bielle-Biarrey’s try with his kick, made two line breaks and nine tackles, and saved a try on his own line. Most of France’s territory came from his boot.
9 Maxime Lucu – 6
Kicked three conversions out of three. His yellow card just before half-time meant France started the second half a man down, which is when the comeback began.
1 Jean-Baptiste Gros – 6
Made 10 tackles in 50 minutes but conceded two penalties.
2 Peato Mauvaka – 6
Made 26 metres, two offloads and six tackles. The lineout misfired too often for France.
3 Sipili Falatea – 6
Made seven tackles and seven carries, gave away two penalties, and came back on late to cover the scrum after Montagne’s yellow card.
4 Florian Verhaeghe – 7
Won six lineouts, the most in the team, and added 11 tackles and a line break. He kept the set piece going.
5 Mickael Guillard – 6
Beat six defenders, the most in the French side, though that only brought nine metres from seven carries. A solid 50 minutes.
6 François Cros – 8
Made 17 tackles, more than any other player on the pitch, and played the full 80. He was the main reason France’s defence held.
7 Cameron Woki – 6
Made six tackles, 16 metres and an offload. He came off and went back on as France reshuffled for the yellow cards.
8 Grégory Alldritt – 7
Carried 11 times, more than any other French player, beat three defenders and won a turnover before going off at 50 minutes.
Replacements
16 Maxime Lamothe – 6 – Made seven tackles in 30 minutes.
17 Rodrigue Neti – 5 – Made six tackles and conceded one penalty.
18 Regis Montagne – 4 – Won a turnover but conceded four penalties and was sin-binned on 68 minutes, three minutes before Marx scored.
19 Charles Ollivon – 6 – Made seven tackles in 23 minutes.
20 Tom Staniforth – 6 – Made seven tackles and carried five times.
21 Esteban Capilla – 7 – The best of the bench, with 10 tackles, a turnover and two lineouts won in 30 minutes.
22 Axel Desperes – N/A – Didn’t come on.
23 Emilien Gailleton – 6 – Made five tackles after replacing Gourgues.
France v South Africa: key numbers
| Stat | France | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 45% | 55% |
| Metres made | 309 | 598 |
| Tackles | 173 | 141 |
| Missed tackles | 33 | 19 |
| Penalties conceded | 14 | 11 |
| Lineout success | 66.7% | 100% |
| Cards | 3 yellow | 1 yellow, 1 red |
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