South Africa Lose to France in Paris As Springboks Gets Red Card
- Jasper Wiese was sent off in the second half as the Springboks suffered a narrow defeat at the Stade de France on Friday
- The loss ended South Africa's winning run in the Nations Championship and cost them their position at the top of the world rankings
- The Boks trailed by 14 points at half-time and mounted a dramatic comeback that fell just two points short
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The Springboks' grip on the world number one ranking has slipped after France claimed a 21-19 Nations Championship victory at the Stade de France on Friday night, ending South Africa's unbeaten run in the competition.
It was Les Bleus' first win over the world champions since 2022 and lifts France to third in the global standings. New Zealand move to the top, though the All Blacks must beat Wales on Saturday to retain that position.
Wiese Red Card Compounds Bok Struggles
South Africa had a torrid opening half. Lock Lood de Jager was yellow-carded in the 12th minute for head contact on Maxime Lucu, and France punished the numerical advantage with converted tries from winger Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and fullback Théo Attissogbe. Jan-Hendrik Wessels replied for the visitors, but Louis Bielle-Biarrey extended the French lead after a clever kick ahead from Antoine Dupont, who was making his debut at flyhalf. France also had Lucu sin-binned late in the first half for a high tackle. Kurt-Lee Arendse appeared to score on the hooter, but a TMO review ruled him offside and the try was disallowed. The Boks went into the break trailing 21-7.
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The second half brought further controversy. Number 8 Jasper Wiese received a yellow card for a dangerous cleanout on outside centre Kalvin Gourgues, which was subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red card, reducing South Africa to 13 men at one stage. France's Grandidier-Nkanang was also sent off, leaving both sides shorthanded.
Late Comeback Falls Short
Replacement scrumhalf Cobus Reinach dotted down in the 52nd minute, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converting to trim the deficit to seven points. Malcolm Marx then scored from a powerful maul in the 71st minute, but Manie Libbok's missed conversion proved costly, leaving the Boks two points adrift and unable to level the scores. South Africa did secure a losing bonus point.
The defeat dents the Boks' standing in the southern hemisphere standings ahead of the Nations Championship finals weekend, scheduled for 27 to 29 November at Twickenham. South Africa had won nine of their previous 10 encounters with France, including five straight victories in Paris.
The Springboks travel to Dublin next week to face Ireland, who play Fiji on Saturday.
Scorers
France — Tries: Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Théo Attissogbe, Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Conversions: Maxime Lucu (3).
Springboks — Tries: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Reinach, Malcolm Marx. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2).
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Source: Briefly News
