PARIS — France lost seven straight tests to South Africa from 2010 to 2018, which might have been the reason current coach Fabien Galthie traveled to the home of the Springboks after taking over in 2019.
Galthie wasn’t looking for technical information, but rather a more holistic understanding of what motivated the Springboks when they ran onto a rugby field. He found something.
“They’re a team that inspire us, that we’ve followed a lot,” Galthie said. “They talk a lot about nation, about uniting the country. We love how they carry the symbol of their country. I learned a lot about their country and their culture over there.”
There’s no telling how much Galthie’s effort to gain insight into what makes the world champion Springboks tick helped France end that losing run against them last November. But it can’t have hurt.
In a tight and at times brutal game that had a red card for each side, Galthie’s France stood up and won 30-26. It was a turning point in France-South Africa contests and is the source of deep French belief ahead of Sunday’s Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against the Springboks in Paris.
Sunday’s other quarterfinal is also framed largely by a significant last meeting between the teams. Fiji beat England for the first time ever in a warmup game in August, setting a clear precedent for a Fijian repeat this weekend in Marseille that would make Rugby World Cup history with a Pacific Island nation in the semifinals for the first time.
FRANCE vs. SOUTH AFRICA (South Africa leads 27-6-12 overall, 1-0 in RWC)
France’s head coach Fabien Galthie watches on during their stadium run training session at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis outside of Paris, France, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, ahead of their Rugby World Cup quarter-final match against South Africa on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. Credit: AP/Themba Hadebe
France and South Africa met only once previously at a Rugby World Cup, a 1995 semifinal in South Africa that was memorable for a torrential rain storm…
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