Rugby: France beat South Africa 21-19 at the Stade de France
· BehindLines newsroom
On 13 November 2026, France beat South Africa 21-19 at the Stade de France in the Nations Championship. According to the BBC, the win ends a run of five defeats against the world champions at that ground, and RTÉ sees it as France's first home victory over the South Africans since 2005.
The scoring, one by one
The BBC credits France's three tries to Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, Théo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, with three conversions by Maxime Lucu. On the South African side, it credits Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Reinach and Malcolm Marx with one try each, with two conversions by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. According to RTÉ, France led 14-0 thanks to the first two tries, before Wessels finished off a driving maul; Bielle-Biarrey then touched down after a kick from Dupont behind the defence. Both outlets say the French did not score again after the break.
A dazzling first half
According to the BBC, the injuries sustained by the three regular fly-halves (Romain Ntamack, Antoine Hastoy and Matthieu Jalibert) left coach Fabien Galthié with few options: he gave the number 10 shirt to captain Antoine Dupont, who nonetheless played mostly at scrum-half. RTÉ specifies that the first two French tries came while lock Lood de Jager was off the field on a yellow card. Just before half-time, a try by Kurt-Lee Arendse was disallowed for an offside position, according to both outlets.
A ragged second half
Number 8 Jasper Wiese was sent off for 20 minutes with a red card shortly after the restart for a dangerous tackle, according to both outlets. The BBC counts five cards in the match, including yellows for Lucu, Grandidier-Nkanang and replacement Régis Montagne. Reinach and then Marx scored for the South Africans. Also according to RTÉ, Lucu missed a penalty from distance that would have put France ten points ahead with fifteen minutes or so left, and replacement Manie Libbok missed the conversion of Marx's try, nine minutes from time; the BBC specifies that it would have levelled the score.
The finish
According to the BBC, a big tackle by Bielle-Biarrey made the ball come loose, and Dupont, named man of the match, picked it up to wrap up the victory. RTÉ, for its part, mentions a last turnover won by Dupont.
The standings
According to the BBC, France lead the northern hemisphere standings by six points and host Argentina the following Saturday; the inaugural final will take place on Sunday 29 November at Allianz Stadium. RTÉ puts the gap at seven points, with France having played one more game. The two figures differ, and we do not choose between them.
Why it matters
The BBC considers that the result is a blow to England and Ireland, France's rivals for a place in the final. According to RTÉ, the Springboks' chances of getting there no longer depend on them alone. Nothing is settled: games remain for every team involved, and the standings can still change.