Boks’ emotional marathon in Paris a litmus test for Kolisi’s trend-setting side

Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi have seen it all over the course of their eight-year partnership, and yet, the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal against France still ranks as one of their most exhausting assignments.

Even now, as they prepare for a rematch against Les Bleus in Paris on Saturday, the memories of that brutal playoff endure.

Emotional toll

The game itself was played at a frantic pace, with the Boks going toe-to-toe with a French side renowned for its all-court game.

Cheslin Kolbe timed his run to perfection to charge down Thomas Ramos’ attempted conversion and deny the hosts two points. Late in the game, Kwagga Smith won a breakdown penalty, before stand-in captain Bongi Mbonambi told Handré Pollard to slot the match-winner “for South Africa”.

It was in the aftermath of that 29-28 result, however, where things took an ugly turn.

France captain Antoine Dupont led an attack on referee Ben O’Keefe, prompting a nationwide outrage that soured the final two weeks of the tournament.

When the Boks took to the field in the semifinal and final, they were loudly booed by the locals. Cobus Reinach, who was based at Montpellier at the time, received death threats on social media.

“I hope that when you return to Montpellier you get murdered by French people on the ground,” one message read. “Gang of thieves. Easy to win a title by cheating.”

These moments have been immortalised in countless articles, several autobiographies, and the Emmy-nominated documentary Chasing the Sun in recent years.

While the Boks’ campaign ended on a triumphant note, the players and coaches have never forgotten their experiences either side of that quarterfinal.

Erasmus has since spoken at length about the challenge of playing three big Tests in consecutive weeks, and the emotional and physical toll it can take on the players.

With that in mind, it’s not hard to understand why the Bok boss has doubled down on his rotation policy over the past two seasons.

In the context of the current five-match tour, the Boks are fortunate in that they will play their biggest fixtures against France and Ireland two weeks apart.

The challenge of playing France at home, of course, is something different entirely – and after two particularly explosive meetings in 2022 and 2023, the Boks should know what to expect from the French, on and off the field.

Shots fired

Conspiracy theorists were hard at work during the 2023 World Cup, with some going as far as to suggest that O’Keefe’s initials (BOK) signified a bias towards the South Africans and foreshadowed an inevitable result in the quarterfinal.

France coach Fabien Galthié ventured into tin-hat territory last month when he claimed that spies had been sent to Europe ahead of the 8 November showdown at the Stade de France.

Galthié has intimated that the SA U19 squad currently on tour in Europe is ideally placed to feed the Boks information about France’s preparations.

In light of that perceived threat, the French boss has limited access to team training, much to the chagrin of the local media.

Paul Willemse, a South Africa-born lock who represented Les Bleus 32 times before his recent retirement, put France’s obsession with the Boks into perspective in a recent interview with Rapport.

Willemse revealed how the group had watched Chasing the Sun to gain a better understanding of their opponents. The 2023 quarterfinal defeat was described as “a stab in the heart”, while the upcoming clash was viewed as an opportunity for “revenge”.

Not to be outdone, Erasmus has played a few mind games of his own in the lead-up to the fixture.

After arriving in Paris last Sunday, the Boks sent out their media schedule, with the team announcement locked in for midday on Monday.

By Monday morning, the announcement had been moved to Thursday afternoon.

Most Test coaches prefer to name their teams as late as possible, to keep their opponents guessing over the course of the week and to limit the analysis on individual players.

In recent years, Erasmus named his teams on a Monday or Tuesday to project an image of confidence.

But in the lead-up to a few marquee fixtures – such as the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal – Erasmus and former head coach Jacques Nienaber moved the team announcement to later in the week.

Back in 2023, the Bok team was named on a Friday, 48 hours before kickoff.

The recent change to the schedule may have something to do with the fitness of returning players such as Damian Willemse – who missed last week’s game against Japan due to a hamstring niggle – or it may simply be another ploy to keep the opposition on their toes.

Boks hot, French lukewarm

Galthié’s spying allegations have been followed by suggestions that French rugby has closed the laager ahead of a season-defining clash against the Boks.

So much was invested into that 2023 World Cup campaign, with France and Ireland starting the tournament as early favourites.

When the French bombed out of their home tournament, the coaches as well as the players were forced to do some soul-searching.

France delivered a series of mixed results in 2024, finishing second in the Six Nations, drawing the subsequent series in Argentina and then sweeping to three home wins in November.

This season, France have doubled down on their physical strategy and kick-centric tactics, and have favoured seven-one and six-two bench splits across a successful Six Nations campaign.

Galthié opted to rest most of his star players when touring New Zealand in July – and France duly lost the series 3-0. It’s for this reason that they’re something of an unknown quantity heading into the matches against the Boks, Fiji and Australia this November.

When Galthié announced his squad for the series, there were several notable omissions, including Dupont, Matthieu Jalibert, Jonathan Danty, Thomas Ramos, Charles Ollivon, Francois Cros, Romain Taofifénua, Peato Mauvaka and Cyril Baille.

The French are renowned for their junior systems, their club structures and their depth, but it remains to be seen whether Galthié’s chosen 23 can overcome a more settled and battle-hardened Bok outfit this Saturday.

Winning the mental game

These are unprecedented times for South African rugby, in that the Boks have managed to win 19 out of 23 Tests over the past two seasons – a run that includes back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.

The Boks scored nine tries and 61 points at Wembley Stadium last week, but in the context of a five-game tour that includes Tests against France and Ireland, they will know that they’ve achieved nothing yet.

Twenty-three members of the current squad were part of the group when the Boks beat France in Paris in 2023, and most of that contingent featured in another highly charged clash against Les Bleus in 2022 – which the Boks lost 30-26 in Marseille.

Erasmus and the senior players will reflect on those recent matches in France and insist that the group manages its physical and emotional intensity over a period of 80 minutes.

They will cite the reckless clear-out by Pieter-Steph du Toit in Marseille as a soft moment that can compromise the team’s performance in the long run.

While the Boks showed remarkable fight to claw their way back after Du Toit’s red card, the collective performance begged the question of what they might have achieved, in terms of the result and margin, if they’d kept 15 men on the field.

A full house is expected at the Stade de France this Saturday, and the vast majority of the 80,000 fans will be desperate to see a French victory.

The margins are likely to be small, and as was the case in 2022 and 2023, one or two calls could shape the final result.

Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and others in the leadership group will have their work cut out for them in the clamour and chaos of that French cauldron. DM