The China Mail - Fourteen-man South Africa fight back to beat France

The Springboks played 40 minutes down a man after De Jager's shoulder charge on Bleus full-back Thomas Ramos but secured victory thanks to second-half tries from replacements Andre Esterhuizen and Grant Williams and starting fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Home winger Damian Penaud had scored twice in the opening half an hour, overtaking legend Serge Blanco as his country's leading try scorer, in a re-match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final won by the Boks on their way to a fourth Webb Ellis trophy.

The sides are unlikely to face tougher outings next weekend in the Autumn Nations Series. France host Fiji. South Africa head to Italy.

France head coach Fabien Galthie started Nolann Le Garrec at scrum-half with superstar half-back Antoine Dupont sidelined until December with a serious knee injury.

Galthie had kept just nine names from the matchday squad from the last time the sides met and described South Africa's 2025 vintage "maybe the best team ever" earlier in the week.

Rassie Erasmus, who guided the Boks to their two most recent World Cup triumphs, named nine players in his starting 15 from the run-on side from that quarter-final.

South Africa's two-time World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi ran out onto the Stade de France pitch alone for his 100th Test match to a cacophony of noise under a dramatic light show, which set the tone for the nail-biter.

To the joy of the raucous home crowd, Les Bleus crossed first as winger Penaud overtook Blanco with 39 touchdowns.

Ramos slotted the conversion, after providing an assist with a cross-kick under pressure and the hosts led 7-0 after four minutes.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu replied by kickimg two penalties before missing another two with France ill-disciplined.

Penaud crossed again after 39 minutes, thanks to another Ramos assist, before Bok scrum-half Cobus Reinach sprinted over with superb solo effort.

- Madness -

De Jager's moment of madness came 20 seconds before the break, as he was sent for an early shower for a shoulder charge on the falling Ramos.

Les Bleus were on top early on in the second half with livewire winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey finding space out wide.

To deal with the numerical inferiority, Erasmus replaced lock Eben Etzebeth with Andre Esterhuizen, who played an innovative hybrid role, alternating between the back-row and centre.

The hosts dominated possession but without much on the scoreboard to show for it. With 20 minutes to play, Ramos slotted a penalty to make it 17-13.

The Springboks then took control and the lead. Esterhuizen bundled over for a try from a lineout immediately after Bielle-Biarrey was yellow carded for an intentional knock-on.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu hit the post with his difficult conversion to ramp up the tension with a quarter of an hour to go and just a point separating the sides, as was the case at full-time 20 months ago.

Erasmus' side began to dominate. They extended their lead to 25-17 as replacement scrum-half Grant Williams sniped through. Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted the extras.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu then took his tally to 17 points with a try and conversion.

K.Lam--ThChM