France ended a 21-year wait on Friday night, defeating South Africa 21-19 at the Stade de France. The victory marked their first against the Springboks at their national stadium in over two decades.
The match was characterised by numerous twists, including multiple red and yellow cards, controversial decisions from coaches and the refereeing team, and a crucial missed conversion by South Africa's Manie Libbok in the final minutes.
Despite head coach Fabien Galthié's earlier comments, Antoine Dupont, wearing the No 10 jersey, played in his usual scrum-half position, with Maxime Lucu taking on the role of first receiver. South Africa's coach Rassie Erasmus also made a late change to his line-up, bringing on key front-row players earlier than expected.
France scored tries through Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Théo Attissogbe, while South Africa's scores included a rolling maul try and another by Cobus Reinach. The French team held onto a two-point lead for the final 30 minutes of the game.