France secured a 21-19 victory over South Africa at the Stade de France, marking the team’s first home win against the Springboks in two decades. The match was decided in dramatic fashion when Manie Libbok’s conversion attempt, which would have tied the score with seven minutes remaining, fell short. Despite France struggling in set-piece play and missing numerous players, the team held on defensively in the final half hour to clinch the result.
Antoine Dupont proved pivotal to France’s performance, though in an unconventional tactical arrangement. Head coach Fabien Galthié deployed Dupont nominally at fly-half but had him operate in his usual position as a playmaker, with Maxime Lucu shifting to first receiver. Dupont orchestrated several attacking moves, including a 50-22 kick that led to a try and a grubber kick that set up Louis Bielle-Biarrey for another score.
The contest featured numerous momentum shifts and controversial moments. Early in the match, Lood de Jager’s sin-bin for a high tackle allowed Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang to score in the corner. France built a significant lead, but South Africa responded with their own rolling maul tries. The second half descended into a series of disciplinary incidents, with yellow cards shown to Maxime Lucu and Grandidier-Nkanang, and a red card to Jasper Wiese. South African head coach Rassie Erasmus made an early tactical substitution in the 35th minute, introducing Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché, and Wilco Louw to bolster his front row.
South Africa mounted sustained pressure on France’s try-line in the closing stages, with one try ruled out for an offside and another held up. Marx eventually scored off a rolling maul, bringing South Africa within two points, but Libbok’s subsequent conversion miss proved costly. Erasmus acknowledged his team’s defeat in forthright terms, saying they were “out-thought” as well as outplayed.
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