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Scrappy Springboks go down to France

Brad Morgan

16 November 2009

The Springboks, looking tired and disjointed, were beaten 20-13 by France in Marseille on Friday night in a disappointing test opener on their end-of-year northern hemisphere tour.

It was the kind of performance that South African fans fear at this time of the year: an error-filled, labouring effort from a group of players who have spent far too long playing big matches in the Super 14, Tri-Nations, and Currie Cup, resulting in an inevitable and collective drop-off in performance.

Errors happened regularly, ball retention was poor and ill discipline resulted in two yellow cards being shown to Springboks.

Brussouw stars

France controlled the rucks, although Heinrich Brussouw, far and away the best South African player on the night, did outstanding work to counter the passionate home team.

The scrums were reasonably even in the first half, but in the second half France took charge of them.

They also dominated territory in the second stanza, keeping South Africa pinned in their half and under pressure.

South African anthem

Things went wrong for the Springboks even before the teams took the field when a Rastafarian singer chosen to sing the South African national anthem butchered it, failing to hold a note and also forgetting some of the words.

It left some South African players smiling in bemusement, some angered, some with quizzical looks on their faces, and some of the French crowd laughing at the bizarre performance by the singer.

In contrast, the French national anthem, the Marsellaise, stirringly sung by an opera singer, was well supported by an enthusiastic crowd.

First points

In the game, France were first onto the scoreboard when SA skipper John Smit was penalised for entering a ruck from the side. Julien Dupuy knocked over the kick at goal to put France 3-0 ahead.

Bok lock Bakkies Botha was an early casualty of the physical nature of the contest, emerging from a ruck with a head wound that required treatment off the field. Not long after his return to action, his second row partner Victor Matfield had to leave the field for treatment to a cut over his eye.

It was a scrappy contest and the rucks were not well controlled by referee Wayne Barnes. However, the Springboks were on the right side of one of his rulings in the 20th minute when Barnes blew up Imanol Harinordoquy for entering a ruck from the side.

Scores level

Morne Steyn took a shot at goal and was dead on target to pull South Africa level at 3-3.

The next five minutes were South Africa's most impressive of the contest as they showed some continuity and ball retention as they forced their way into the French 22. After setting up a ruck, Fourie du Preez fed Steyn behind the scrum and he comfortably slotted a drop goal to put the Springboks 6-3 in front.

Try

Once again South Africa played their way deep into French territory where the home team was awarded a lineout only five metres from the tryline. William Servat missed his lineout jumpers, instead finding SA captain Smit near the back of the lineout. He claimed the ball and bulled his way through Dupuy's attempted tackle to score a try.

Steyn added the extras to put South Africa 10 points clear at 13-3.

Immediate response

Two minutes later, the French hit back with a try of their own. It began when Harinordoquy, who had been in front of a kick ahead, but was was not spotted by the match officials, forced a turnover from Ryan Kankowski as he tried to field the kick.

The French moved the ball fluently into the South African 22-metre area and drew the scrambling South African defenders towards the ruck to cover the danger. This opened up an overlap on the right and France exploited the man advantage by putting winger Vincent Clerc in the clear to score.

Dupuy hooked his attempt at a conversion from the right hand touchline, but the home team's deficit had been reduced to five points at 13-8 in favour of the Springboks.

Yellow card

Just before the break, with France forcing the pace, Steyn was yellow-carded for tripping Clerc as the French attacked just outside the SA 22. Dupuy made the Boks pay even more by slotting the penalty to make the score at the break 13-11.

The second half restart by fullback Zane Kirchner went directly into touch and, from that moment on, South Africa were on the back foot; they would fail to score a point in the second stanza.

Ten minutes in, Dupuy put France into the lead with another penalty as South Africa were blown up at a scrum.

Just after the hour-mark, the scrumhalf increased the French advantage to four points with yet another penalty.

It was all France and Barnes' policing of the ruck wasn't doing the tourists any favours as they began to show their unhappiness with the referee's decisions.

Hopes extinguished

South Africa's hopes were all but extinguished when, with 12 minutes to play, they were again reduced to 14 men when Ryan Kankowski was sent to the bin for 10 minutes for a deliberate foul with France on the attack. Somehow replacement scrumhalf Morgan Parra missed the simple kick at goal, leaving the score unchanged.

Nothing the Springboks tried worked and they couldn't escape their own half as they coughed the ball up time after time in contact.

With two minutes remaining, France were awarded another penalty at scrum time and Parra slotted the kick to complete the scoring and give France a 20-13 victory over the world champions.