What a difference 80 minutes makes. Before last weekends game I had this test penciled in as a win. Now? Who knows. A loss to a heavily depleted English side exposed a pack of attacking quality in the Boks side that goes beyond the absence of Faf or Willie. The kicking game was backed by a powerful display up front that pinned the English deep into their own territory for much of the contest. In fact, they hadn't entered the Bok 22 the entire first half. Yet, we led by a few points. What if England fired from the start? They grew in confidence and cut us up on attack throughout the last thirty minutes. What will France do? They have the muscle to take our pack on, which could potentially stall our attacking game. Yet, they have problems of their own.
It's been a miserable cycle for Les Bleus, they've lost 21 of their last 31 games, which included a draw to the plucky men from Pocky World last November. A 31% win record, composed of a 50% win record at home and a 13.3% win record away. Their steep decline in recent times looks even more ominous when we consider their record against the Boks. They haven't beaten the Boks since November 2009. The last of a three test win streak dating back to 2005. The losses which followed were often hideously one sided with the Boks often around the 40 point mark. They've conceded 20 tries in the previous 6 tests. However, their previous game on last year's EOYT was much closer. Two tries apiece in a one point loss to the Boks. Does this indicate an imminent change of fortunes?
Undoubtedly, the return of Faf de Klerk will be immense. He sets the tone for their pressure game, suffocating and harassing the opposition, forcing many errors. This could be the spark the Boks need to get back on track after a disappointing loss. Failure to secure a result will be a worrying sign of regression for a side attempting to restore its honour and mount a serious challenge for next year's World Cup. Results on French territory have tended to be much closer than in the Republic. The Boks haven't scored more than 20 points in France since 1997, so they'll likely need to be especially accurate and take their opportunities. A repeat of the performance against England is looking for trouble.
Past Results:
- France (17) vs South Africa (18) - Stade de France, 2017
- South Africa (35) vs France (12) - Ellis Park, 2017
- South Africa (37) vs France (15) - Kings Park, 2017
- South Africa (37) vs France (14) - Loftus Versfeld, 2017
- France (10) vs South Africa (19) - Stade de France, 2013
