France vs South Africa Key Moments

The fourth Rugby World Cup Quater-Final between France and South Africa lived up to the hype of what was a colossal fixture between two power houses in world rugby. The one point difference between the two teams is reflective of the small margins which made the difference between victory and defeat. Here are some key moments:

7’  Duane Vermeulen jackal

Duane Vermeulen wins a crucial steal while France are attacking on their 10m. Cobus Reinach then sends a high box kick into the air, Kurt-Lee Ardendse collects it off the rebound to score South Africa’s first try against the run of play.

16’ Poor steal attempt by France, Danty off feet 

In a period where the French were completely dominating, Jonathan Danty made a poor steal attempt trying to grab the ball off his feet. This unforced error relieved pressure for the Boks and allowed them to put the pressure back on France with an attacking line out after kicking out from the penalty. They execute on set-piece and in a planned move, send the ball wide to the edge leaving behind 7 and 5 who would normally follow the ball. Manie Libbok then sends a cross field up and under back to the opposite edge with De Allende pouncing off the scraps and falls just short of the French try line before getting up and scoring a phase later.

23’ Kolbe Charge Down

Cheslin Kolbe with one of the moments of the tournement when he chased down Thomas Ramos' conversion attempt, a kicker in superb form who has not missed more than two kicks since the beggining of the international season. These 2 points lost by France proved to be vital in a Test match defined by the smallest of margins.

26’ South Africa’s constant breakdown pressure

South Africa targeted the French breakdown, and particularly Antoine Dupont, with their pressure finally paying off in the 26th minute when Eben Etzebeth capitalised on loose ball at the breakdown and forced a low scrappy pass from Dupont resulting in Cyril Baille knocking the ball on. South Africa regathered possession and get the ball to Jesse Kriel who dinks through an inch perfect grubber to set Cheslin Kolbe up to score South Africa’s third try and completely shifts the momentum in the Springboks favour. This was possibly one of the moments of the match considering the amount of pressure France put South Africa under in the opening 20 minutes

36’ South Africa call a mark inside their 22m and opt to scrum

This was a key moment in the context of the match, South Africa wanted to exert their physical dominance on the French pack just before half time and a made high risk decision which ultimately could of resulted in 5 or 3 points against them if it went wrong. In typical Springbok fashion, they produce a monster scrum with Frans Malherbe’s pressure proving to be too much for Cyril Baille collapsing the scrum. While South Africa did not get an outcome in the form of points, this was key in emphasising their physical presence over the French pack

45’ Jessie Kriel Steal

South Africa had just conceded a yellow card before half time and were down to 14 men with Eben Etzebeth off the field. France began pressuring the defence and Dupont made a line break down the blindside. South Africa scrambled well and prevented them from capitalising on their lack of numbers with a pressure relieving jackal from Jessie Kriel. In hindsight, this was a critical 10 minute period where France who scored 3 tries in the first 30 minutes could not put any points on the board while the Springboks were vulnerable. 

56' Jalibert poor kick out on penalty 

France win a penalty inside their 22m and have the opportunity to relieve pressure and get an attacking line out around the halfway line. Jalibert completely slices the kick and ends up kicking it backwards resulting in a line out 10m from their line.  Instead of being able to attack the Boks defence, France now have to exit out of their 22m and Cheslin Kolbe capitalises on their kick making a line break through the French defence. They end up knocking the ball on, however once again, South Africa get a scrum penalty at set-piece in the French 22m. This was a key momentum shift in the second half in favour of South Africa due to an earlier unforced error. 

65’ South Africa’s dominant scrum

The Springbok forwards produce yet another massive scrum on their 22m getting the penalty advantage and providing a platform for the backs to attack from deep. Kriel made a half break and offloaded to Pollard, who holds onto the ball and then pops it to De Allende putting a brilliant kick into open space. Dupont collects it 5m from his line and is under immense pressure with the Springboks getting a penalty. They do a tap and go move and Eben Etzebeth powers over Jalibert a few phases later to put the springboks in the lead

67' Kwagga Smith Steal

Kwagga Smith makes a crucial steal just before the halfway line which added even more pressure onto France. Handre Pollard steps up and slots an unbelievable 55m kick under pressure to extend South Africas lead to 4 points. This ended up being the decisive penalty of the game with the Springboks winning by 1 point after France also added 3 points through Thomas Ramos’ boot. 

Full Time: France 28 - 29 South Africa