🔗 Share this article

A number of triumphs carry twofold weight in the lesson they convey. Within the flurry of weekend rugby Tests, it was Saturday night's outcome in the French capital that will linger most profoundly across both hemispheres. Not just the final score, but also the manner of success. To suggest that the Springboks overturned several widely-held assumptions would be an understatement of the rugby year.

Unexpected Turnaround

Discard the theory, for instance, that France would make amends for the unfairness of their World Cup elimination. The belief that entering the last period with a slight advantage and an numerical superiority would result in certain victory. Even in the absence of their key player their captain, they still had sufficient tranquiliser darts to restrain the big beasts under control.

Instead, it was a case of celebrating too soon before time. After being behind on the scoreboard, the 14-man Boks concluded with racking up 19 points without reply, reinforcing their standing as a team who increasingly deliver their finest rugby for the most challenging situations. If defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in September was a declaration, this was definitive evidence that the leading international squad are building an greater resilience.

Pack Power

If anything, Erasmus's title-winning pack are starting to make everyone else look less committed by juxtaposition. The Scottish and English sides both had their moments over the two-day period but possessed nothing like the same dominant forwards that thoroughly overwhelmed the French pack to rubble in the closing period. Some promising young home nation players are emerging but, by the conclusion, Saturday night was hommes contre garçons.

Perhaps most impressive was the inner fortitude underpinning it all. Without their lock forward – shown a red card in the first half for a high tackle of the opposition kicker – the Boks could easily have become disorganized. On the contrary they just regrouped and began pulling the deflated boys in blue to what a retired hooker described as “the hurt locker.”

Guidance and Example

Following the match, having been carried around the Parisian stadium on the immense frames of Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman to mark his hundredth Test, the Springbok captain, the flanker, once again highlighted how several of his squad have been obliged to rise above personal challenges and how he aspired his team would similarly continue to motivate fans.

The ever-sage an analyst also made an perceptive point on television, suggesting that his results more and more make him the rugby coaching equivalent of the legendary football manager. Should the Springboks manage to claim a third straight world title there will be complete assurance. In case they come up short, the clever way in which Erasmus has refreshed a possibly veteran squad has been an exemplary model to all.

Young Stars

Consider his emerging number 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who sprinted past for the late try that effectively shattered the French windows. Or the scrum-half, another backline player with explosive speed and an even sharper vision for space. Undoubtedly it is an advantage to operate behind a massive forward unit, with the powerful center riding shotgun, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the Boks from scowling heavyweights into a side who can also move with agility and deliver telling blows is extraordinary.

French Flashes

However, it should not be thought that the French team were totally outclassed, in spite of their fading performance. The wing's later touchdown in the wing area was a good illustration. The power up front that engaged the South African pack, the excellent wide ball from the playmaker and the winger's clinical finish into the perimeter signage all exhibited the characteristics of a squad with significant talent, even in the absence of Dupont.

Yet that in the end was not enough, which really is a humbling reality for all other nations. There is no way, for instance, that the Scottish side could have gone 17-0 down to the world champions and mounted a comeback in the way they did against the All Blacks. Despite the red rose's strong finish, there still exists a distance to travel before the national side can be confident of competing with the world's top team with all at stake.

Northern Hemisphere Challenges

Beating an Pacific Island team posed difficulties on Saturday although the next encounter against the New Zealand will be the contest that properly defines their autumn. The visitors are definitely still beatable, notably absent Jordie Barrett in their center, but when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities they remain a step ahead most the home unions.

Scotland were particularly guilty of not finishing off the killing points and doubts still surround England’s optimal back division. It is all very well ending matches well – and infinitely better than losing them late on – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far included just a single victory over elite-level teams, a close result over the French in February.

Looking Ahead

Thus the weight of this next weekend. Interpreting the signals it would appear various alterations are expected in the matchday squad, with established stars coming back to the side. In the pack, similarly, regular starters should all be back from the start.

Yet perspective matters, in rugby as in life. From now until the next global tournament the {rest