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A number of triumphs carry double significance in the lesson they convey. Among the barrage of weekend international rugby fixtures, it was the Saturday evening score in the French capital that will resonate most enduringly across the globe. Not just the final score, but also the approach of success. To claim that the Springboks demolished several widely-held assumptions would be an oversimplification of the calendar.

Shifting Momentum

So much for the theory, for instance, that the French team would avenge the injustice of their World Cup last-eight loss. The belief that entering the closing stages with a small margin and an numerical superiority would lead to certain victory. Despite missing their talisman their scrum-half, they still had sufficient strategies to keep the strong rivals at a distance.

Instead, it was a case of counting their poulets before time. After being behind on the scoreboard, the 14-man Boks concluded with racking up 19 points without reply, confirming their reputation as a squad who more and more reserve their top performance for the most demanding situations. If overpowering New Zealand in Wellington in September was a declaration, now came definitive evidence that the leading international squad are developing an greater resilience.

Pack Power

If anything, Rassie Erasmus’s experienced front eight are increasingly make all other teams look laissez-faire by comparison. Scotland and England both had their periods of promise over the recent fixtures but did not have the same dominant forwards that effectively reduced the French pack to rubble in the final thirty minutes. Several up-and-coming young home nation players are coming through but, by the conclusion, the encounter was a mismatch in experience.

What was perhaps even more striking was the inner fortitude supporting it all. Without the second-rower – issued a 38th-minute straight red for a shoulder to the head of Thomas Ramos – the Springboks could might well have become disorganized. As it happened they simply regrouped and set about dragging the demoralized boys in blue to what an ex-France player referred to as “a place of suffering.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Following the match, having been carried around the Parisian stadium on the gigantic shoulders of two key forwards to celebrate his hundredth Test, the Springbok captain, the inspirational figure, yet again stressed how a significant number of his squad have been needed to rise above off-field adversity and how he aspired his side would in the same way continue to encourage others.

The insightful David Flatman also made an astute point on television, stating that Erasmus’s record more and more make him the rugby's version of the Manchester United great. If South Africa do go on to win a third successive World Cup there will be complete assurance. Even if they come up short, the clever way in which the mentor has refreshed a experienced squad has been an masterclass to everyone.

New Generation

Consider his 23-year-old fly-half the rising star who sprinted past for the late try that properly blew open the home defense. And also Grant Williams, a second playmaker with blistering pace and an more acute ability to spot openings. Of course it helps to operate behind a gargantuan pack, with André Esterhuizen riding shotgun, but the steady transformation of the Boks from scowling heavyweights into a squad who can also move with agility and strike decisively is remarkable.

Home Side's Moments

This is not to imply that France were completely dominated, notwithstanding their limp finish. Their winger's additional score in the far side was a prime instance. The forward dominance that occupied the visiting eight, the superb distribution from the full-back and the try-scorer's execution into the sideline boards all exhibited the traits of a team with notable skill, without Dupont.

But even that in the end was inadequate, which really is a daunting prospect for everybody else. There is no way, for instance, that Scotland could have gone 17-0 down to the Springboks and mounted a comeback in the way they did versus New Zealand. Despite England’s last-quarter improvement, there is a distance to travel before the national side can be assured of facing the South African powerhouses with everything on the line.

Home Nations' Tests

Overcoming an improving Fiji posed difficulties on match day although the next encounter against the New Zealand will be the match that properly defines their autumn. The All Blacks are definitely still beatable, especially missing an influential back in their center, but when it comes to capitalizing on opportunities they remain a level above almost all the northern hemisphere teams.

The Thistles were notably at fault of failing to hammer home the killing points and uncertainties still hang over the red rose's perfect backline combination. It is acceptable performing in the final quarter – and infinitely better than succumbing at the death – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far included just a single victory over top-drawer opposition, a close result over the French in the winter.

Future Prospects

Therefore the importance of this coming Saturday. Analyzing the situation it would look like several changes are likely in the team selection, with key players coming back to the lineup. In the pack, in the same way, regular starters should return from the beginning.

But everything is relative, in competition as in life. From now until the upcoming world championship the {rest