Overview
- South Africa beat France 32-17 at the Stade de France on Nov. 8 after lock Lood de Jager was sent off just before half-time.
- Playing with 14 men for the second half, the Springboks pulled away with 19 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes.
- Victor Matfield said the performance topped the 43-10 win over New Zealand and identified a scrum around 30 minutes as the turning point that set up Cobus Reinach’s try.
- Matfield highlighted impact from Malcolm Marx, Jasper Wiese, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok, noting the reshuffle and tempo shift off the bench.
- John Kirwan and Andrew Trimble questioned the permanent red, citing mitigating factors and calling for clearer head-contact guidance, while Jean de Villiers described the display as a coaching masterclass built on kicking strategy and set-piece control.