South Africa and France deliver rugby at its finest as Springboks triumph in Paris

By Chris Collyer

Saturday’s blockbuster clash between the World Champions South Africa and Six Nations 2025 Champions France was, in my opinion, the most outstanding game of the year.

With their skill and spirit showcased across the globe, World Rugby owes much to these two teams for proving that Rugby Union is alive and well.

The long-anticipated World Cup rematch was a chance for France to avenge their harrowing one-point loss to the World Champions on home soil in what many called the best game of the tournament.

Many expected France to go on and win that World Cup, and Saturday’s clash delivered just as much drama and quality rugby three years on.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.

Spirit

Siya Kolisi ran onto the pitch to mark his impressive 100th cap for the Springboks and it’s hard not to recognise how valuable the South African is to the game of rugby.

Two-time World Cup Champion, Kolisi’s spirit and energy makes him a priceless talisman for South Africa as well as World Rugby and when he ran out in front of 80,000 people at the Stade de France, he received a hero’s welcome.

The game itself boasted an array of skills, fast plays and magnificent set pieces from both sides that really gave Rugby Union a chance to flex its muscles.

Drama

As with any high-level Test match, drama is never far away.

Since the introduction of the 20-minute red card introduced by World Rugby, many referees have, as they are entitled to, refer the decision-making to the bunker in an attempt to speed up the game and give the incident the required attention needed for the correct decision.

Some decisions, however, are a bit more black and white and putting aside the nature of the straight red card, the mitigation surrounding the tackle and your own personal opinion, it’s refreshing to see Angus Gardner, the on-field referee, make a decision outright.  

Spectacle

When the Springboks came back onto the field after halftime, they knew that they would have the hardest of tasks against one of the best Northern Hemisphere teams, who were out for blood and, in a performance worthy of World Cup winners, went on to win an astonishing 32-17 with only 14 men.

History repeated itself once again. Two years ago, these two massive heavyweight teams came together at the Stade de France in a game that showed Rugby Union at its absolute best and once again last Saturday, we saw again what a spectacle the modern game can be.

READ MORE: France 17-32 South Africa: Springboks too smart for Les Bleus