Springboks vs France :On Sunday evening, the Springboks will be facing off against France at the Stade de France in Paris. The match is scheduled to kick off at 21:00, so make sure you have your snacks and drinks ready for an exciting night of rugby action! You can catch the game on SuperSport and SABC.
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has put together a seriously experienced team for this crucial match. Eight players from the starting XV were part of the victorious 2019 Rugby World Cup final against England. Siya Kolisi will once again lead the team, joined by the likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Duane Vermeulen, Bongi Mbonambi, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Damian de Allende, and Cheslin Kolbe. These players know what it takes to win on the big stage!
But let’s not forget about France! Antoine Dupont will be captaining the team in his return from a fractured cheekbone. It’s gonna be interesting to see how he leads the French side against the Springboks.
Here’s a breakdown of the Springboks’ starting line-up: Springboks vs France
- Fullback: Damian Willemse
- Right Wing: Kurt-Lee Arendse
- Outside Centre: Jesse Kriel
- Inside Centre: Damian de Allende
- Left Wing: Cheslin Kolbe
- Flyhalf: Manie Libbok
- Scrumhalf: Cobus Reinach
- Number 8: Duane Vermeulen
- Flankers: Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi (captain)
- Locks: Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth
- Props: Frans Malherbe and Steven Kitshoff
- Hooker: Bongi Mbonambi
The substitutes for the Springboks include Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, and Kwagga Smith. They’ll be ready to make an impact when called upon!
Here’s a breakdown of FRANCE starting line-up
France – 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Aldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Antonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Baille.
Subs: 16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Francois Cros, 21 Sekou Macalou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Yoram Moefana.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the team of officials, Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) will referee the match at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. He will be assisted by Nika Amashukeli (GRU) and Jordan Way (RA) on the touchlines, while Ben Whitehouse (WRU) will be in the TMO box.
Date: Sunday, October 15
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21.00 (19.00 GMT, 21.00 CEST)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
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STATS AND FACTS:
Springbok record against France:
Played 45; Won 27; Lost 12; Drawn 6. Points for: 965, Points against: 692. Tries scored 107, Tries conceded 61. Highest score 52-10; Biggest win 42 points. Average score: 21-15. Win % 60%.
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Milestones:
- Eben Etzebeth will equal Tendai Mtawarira’s 117 Test caps, meaning they will share third place on the list of most-capped Springboks.
- The 880 caps in the starting team is the second-most ever for the Springboks – the most experienced team, with 891 combined caps – ran out against Samoa at Rugby World Cup in 2015.
- The starting pack is the most experienced ever fielded by the Springboks sharing 623 caps. All eight have made a half century of test appearances and average 78 caps per man.
- Eight players who will feature on Sunday, played against Samoa in 2015: Willie le Roux, Damian De Allende, Handre Pollard, Duane Vermeulen and Eben Etzebeth started, with Frans Malherbe, Siya Kolisi and Jesse Kriel on the bench.
- The two replacement props, Ox Nche and Vincent Koch, are the only players in the match-23 who have not yet scored any Test points.
- Kurt-Lee Arendse enters the match with an impressive try-scoring record of 12 tries in his 12 Test matches.
- Pollard, with 665 Test points in the Springbok jersey, in in third place behind Morne Steyn (742) and Percy Montgomery (893).
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Miscellaneous:
- This is just the second time France and South Africa have met at the Rugby World Cup. The previous meeting was in 1995 when the Springboks edged the semifinal 19-15 in a Durban downpour.
- France (10 times) and South Africa (eight times) are two of just three teams to have reached the quarter-finals in each edition of the Rugby World Cup that they have participated in (also New Zealand, 10).
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 880.
- There are 257 caps in the backline, with 623 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 359 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 37, the forwards 78, while the players on the bench average 45.
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