South Africa Overcome Early Red Card to Defeat France in Autumn Nations Series
marseille, France – South Africa mounted a stunning second-half comeback to defeat France 30-26 in their Autumn Nations Series clash at teh Stade Vélodrome on Saturday, despite playing with 14 men for over an hour following a red card to lock RG Snyman in the 12th minute. A late try and conversion from Manie Libbok sealed the victory for the Springboks, extending their dominant record against France.
The result marks a significant momentum shift for South Africa as they prepare for the 2024 international season and builds on their Rugby World Cup triumph. For France, the defeat is a setback as they continue their preparations for hosting the 2025 Six Nations and look to rebound from their quarter-final exit at the recent World Cup. The Springboks have now beaten France in nine of their past ten meetings.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell acknowledged his team’s slow start, stating, “It should be.But how we got over ourselves and got some tempo back into the game in the second half is credit to the lads.” Farrell expressed concern over full-back jamie Osborne, who left the game injured in the 65th minute. “It doesn’t look good, poor lad - you could see by the way he was holding his arm,” Farrell said. “I thought he might have broken something. But it’s the shoulder, we think, that was out of place and back in place now. But to know that for sure we’ll have to get a look at that.”
France coach Fabien Galthié lamented his team’s missed opportunities. “Around the 60th minute we had three clear chances where we should have scored,then we conceded a series of penalties,and we were forced to defend our line until the yellow card and the try,” he said.
South Africa’s coach, Rassie Erasmus, praised his team’s resilience. “The credit goes to the whole team,” erasmus said.”Some say they’re getting old. They’re getting wiser, calmer.”
France will next face Fiji in Bordeaux on Saturday, while South Africa travels to Italy.
