The day has arrived for what is certain to be one of the greatest rugby spectacles of the year as the Springboks and France go into battle under the lights at a sold out Stade de France in Paris.
In terms of subplots, Siya Kolisi will earn his 100th Test cap, Rassie Erasmus will be in charge of his 50th game as head coach, and the two teams will face off in a ‘rematch’ of the 2023 World Cup quarter-final.
The match at Stade de France kicks off at 22:10 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport’s Grandstand and Rugby channels during DStv Open Time.
LIVE SCORING AS THE SPRINGBOKS AND FRANCE PREPARE FOR BATTLE IN PARIS:
Teams:
France: 15 Tomas Ramos, 14 Damien Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Gaël Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Nolann le Garrec, 8 Mickaël Guillard, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Régis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Baptiste Erdocio.
Replacements: 16 Guillaume Cramont, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Nicolas Depoortère
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 Andre Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.
Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: (22:10 SAST)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) & Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
Zooming in on the match, Kolisi expected an epic encounter against France, who they defeated 29-28 the last time the teams crossed paths in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
“This game is a big game for us, it’s like a knock-out game,” said the soon-to-be Test centurion.
“We also know how big the (world ranking) points will be for us if we win the match, so we are going out there with that mindset and we are looking forward to the game.
“Obviously, this match has different factors behind it, but for us, it’s a game we have to win so we can keep on being the top side in the world and get a good pool for the World Cup draw.
“We’ve seen in the media the hurt France are still carrying (from 2023), but for us, our purpose is constant. And that’s to represent our people and country, and also to win for coach Rassie to have a team that is transforming and building squad depth all the time. At the end of the day, it’s all about what’s going to happen between those four lines tomorrow.”
Kolisi elaborated on this, saying: “Games against France are always big because it’s two big packs facing one another, and it’s important that the scrums and lineouts are dominant. They also have good backs, but so do we, and we are very similar teams with passionate fans, so there are many similarities between the sides.
“Physicality is going to be important tomorrow because winning the gain line and the breakdowns will determine which team wins, and of course, the side that uses their opportunities best.”
