The Springboks are set to face arguably the biggest threat to their World Cup crown when they confront hosts France in the quarterfinals of the global show piece this evening (9pm SA time).
The epic encounter at Stade de France in Paris, will be the 46th time the two countries meet on the international stage and the second time they cross paths in a world cup.
In their only other meeting at the global showpiece, in the 1995 semifinals, France played with pride and bravery against the Springboks but still fell short and were denied victory after having three tries ruled out.
This time, the French, playing on home soil with the backing of their vociferous fans, will hope to pull off what would be one of the upsets of the competition by dumping out the defending champions.
Les Bleus head into the encounter high in confidence and in some form having scored 27 tries in their four pool matches in the competition, almost
seven tries a match.
Their record is slightly better than that of the Springboks, who have scored a total of 22 tries, just more than five a match, on their way to the quarterfinals.
France will also be encouraged by the Boks’ defeat at the hands of Ireland in the pool stages, where their kicking was exposed, an area Le Bleu will also hope to exploit and expose given that they have kicked 23 of their 27 conversions.
What has been said?
France prop Reda Wardi insists they know exactly what to expect from the Springboks and have a few tricks up their sleeve to try and take advantage of their weaknesses.
“We faced them last winter, so we have some indications,” Wardi told reporters.
“The squad is ready for this kind of game. They (South Africa) are physical, and they’re well known for that.
“They try to impress their opponents with their forwards to show their strength.”
Desperate for success:
France is widely considered the best team to have never won the World Cup, having come close no less than three times but falling short at the final hurdle.
Having lost in the inaugural final in 1987 to New Zealand in Auckland, then again to Australia in Cardiff in 1999 before going down once more to the All Blacks in Auckland in 2011, Les Bleu are desperate to go all the way this time.
France’s star players:
Les Bleus will look to none other than their inspirational captain and star scrum half Antoine Dupont for inspiration when they confront the Springboks.
The 2021 World Rugby Player of the Year has defied all medical odds to come back from a fractured cheekbone to rejoin his team and is likely to lead them this evening.
Another man to watch will be France’s commanding number eight Gregory Alldritt, who has few chinks in his armour and can boast of being one of
the best in the world in his possession.
The 26-year-old Alldritt links quite spectacularly with scrum-half Dupont and can shred defences with his power in the carry, smart offloads and acceleration.
Fabien Galthie, France’s mastermind:
The France coach, Galthie, represented Les Bleus in four Rugby world cups, including the 1999 edition, where they reached the final but lost out to the
Wallabies.
And now, the former scrum-half is hoping to get his nation across the line on home soil and clinch their maiden Webb Ellis trophy to cap off what has been an impressive tenure at the helm.
Since Galthie took over as head coach in 2020, he has completely transformed the French team and turned it into one of the most feared teams in world rugby.
Who is the referee?
New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe will be the man in charge of the titanic clash between Les Bleus and the Springboks inside a packed Stade de France, the home for the country’s rugby team. It will be the first rugby world cup quarterfinal as referee for O’Keeffe.
He will be assisted by compatriots Paul Williams (assistant referee 1), James Doleman (assistant referee 2) and Brendon Pickerill (TMO).
