France 21-19 South Africa: Dupont Inspires Les Bleus to Stun the Springboks in Paris

France stunned world champions South Africa 21-19 in a Nations Championship thriller at the Stade de France on Friday night, holding on after the Springboks hit back from 21-7 down at half-time. Antoine Dupont, playing at fly-half after only one day of training in the position, was named man of the match as Les Bleus moved top of the northern hemisphere table.

How France won

France were 21-7 up by the break after three tries in 17 minutes. Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang crossed on 15 minutes, Théo Attissogbe added a second on 24 and Louis Bielle-Biarrey finished a third on 32, with scrum-half Maxime Lucu converting all three.

Jan-Hendrik Wessels had replied for the Springboks on the half-hour, and South Africa dominated after the interval. Cobus Reinach scored on 51 minutes and Malcom Marx powered over on 72 to make it 21-19 – but Manie Libbok missed the conversion that would have levelled the game, and France hung on.

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Cards and a makeshift fly-half

It was a scrappy, bad-tempered night. South Africa back-rower Cobus Wiese was shown a 20-minute red card for an illegal clear-out at a ruck, while France had Lucu, Grandidier-Nkanang and prop Régis Montagne sin-binned.

France were also without four fly-halves – Matthieu Jalibert, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos and Antoine Hastoy – so Dupont moved from scrum-half to No 10. “I feel tired!” he told ITV afterwards. “It was so hard today with the yellow cards.”

What it means and what comes next

It is only France’s second win over the Springboks in their last 11 meetings, and it sends them top of the northern hemisphere table. France host Argentina at the Stade de France next Saturday (21 November, 8.10pm UK), while South Africa travel to Dublin to face Ireland the same day (4.40pm UK).

Sources: Nations Championship match data; France Rugby (FFR); ITV Sport interview.