Best Boks v France: Marx And Company Paint Paris Red

France were fixated on exacting revenge for the heart-breaking 29-28 World Cup quarter-final loss to South Africa at the same venue two years ago, but instead, the back-to-back world champions showed their superiority in the much-anticipated rematch despite losing Lood de Jager to a permanent red card in the 39th minute.

It was guts to glory stuff as the Boks celebrated captain Siya Kolisi’s landmark 100th Test appearance and Rassie Erasmus’ 50th Test as head coach in style. The courageous victory also saw Erasmus become the winningest coach in Bok history with 37 wins, eclipsing fellow World Cup-winning mentor Jake White (36).

Les Bleus had the upper hand in the first half as Damian Penaud breached the Boks’ tryline twice. However, two penalty goals by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and a superb solo try by Cobus Reinach made it 14-13.

South Africa were awarded a late kickable penalty to go into the break with the lead, but in a major turn of events, it was reversed and De Jager saw red for a high tackle on Thomas Ramos.

This is where the character of this special Bok team came to the fore as they restricted France to just three more points whilst banking three tries through Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams and Feinberg-Mngomezulu to seal their biggest win over Les Bleus in Paris since 1997.

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

Malcolm Marx

Mighty and menacing, Marx was immense as he re-established himself as the No. 1 No. 2 in the world.

In a Paris pond full of sharks, he was a Megalodon, the apex predator who set South Africa up for success with a masterclass of hooker play and breakdown brilliance as the cherry on top.

Abrasive in general play, strong in the scrums, precise in the lineouts, and prolific at the breakdown – highlighted by his jackal in the 67th minute – Marx showed he’s unmatched in his position and reminded all of how pivotal he is to the Boks.  

Cobus Reinach

Like a fine wine (something the French know a few things about), Reinach is only getting better with age.

At 35, he’s finally the Boks’ first-choice scrumhalf, and this seismic showdown showed exactly why. It also highlighted why Grant Williams is perfect in the role of back-up off the bench.

Reinach was a calm and cool head at the base, who smartly yet subtly took the heat off his young halfback partner when needed. His decision-making was superb, as was his execution, whether it was his service, box kicks, or exit kicks.

And then there was the piece of individual brilliance that sparked the Boks’ comeback as he sniped through from a ruck, chipped over Penaud, and dotted down.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s magic carpet ride continued at Stade de France as he clinched his second successive Man of the Match award.

It was fitting, though, that his performance was imperfect, as it showed that whilst he’s a generational talent, he’s still only a 23-year-old flyhalf navigating the storms of Test rugby.

His goal-kicking was inconsistent, but he started and finished well, with his massive first penalty being a thing of beauty. There were a couple of high bombs that were too deep for his chasers to contest, but generally, his kicking out of hand was sound.

His versatility also came in handy, as he shifted to fullback in the 57th minute and put the final nail in France’s coffin by running in a slick try to finish with a personal tally of 17 points.