Springboks to play France. Image: SA Rugby website
Rugby World Cup 2023 | History: France v South Africa in Paris
France and South Africa clash in one of the most anticipated World Cup Rugby 2023 matches at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.
Springboks to play France. Image: SA Rugby website
The French and Springboks will battle for a spot in the World Cup semi-final on Sunday evening, where the winners will be favourites to make the final at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, on 28 October.
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The much-anticipated clash of the world’s second- (France) and- third-ranked (South Africa) sides will settle the fixtures for the semi-finals. The winners will play England or Fiji on the same Saint-Denis turf in France’s capital for a place in the final.
This weekend’s eagerly awaited World Cup quarter-final is only the second time France and South Africa will meet in the sport’s showpiece event. The two teams’ one and only World Cup match was in 1995, where the Springboks edged France 19-15 in a memorable semi-final clash in Durban.
Les Bleus and Springboks’ history spans more than a century
France and South Africa have a history spanning 110 years. They have played each other 45 times since their first Test match in 1913 at Parc Lescure in Bordeaux, which the Springboks won 38-5. The Boks have won 27 Tests, France 12, with six draws.
The two countries have played in Paris 12 times at three different grounds: Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes (three), Parc des Princes (four) and Stade de France (five). The Springboks won twice at the Olympic Stadium, with one draw, and three times at Parc des Princes, losing once.
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Les Bleus and the Boks have played each other five times at Stade de France. The hosts have won twice, the last time in 2005 when they defeated the Boks 26-20, while the three-times World Cup champs have won three Tests at France’s national sports stadium.
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The two countries only met three times before 1958, which saw France claim their first win (9-5) against the Boks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Curiously enough, Les Bleus won two more Tests in South Africa before finally winning on home soil in 1992.
This first home victory came after South Africa re-entered the international sporting scene after years of international isolation because of Apartheid. France invited South Africa for a two-Test series, the Boks’ first away series since 1981 in New Zealand. The Springboks defeated France 20-15 at Stade de Gerland in Lyon before losing 29-16 at Parc des Princes in Paris.
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The Springboks would play France three more times at Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain, the French football club for whom Lionel Messi recently played before the Stade de France became the home of Les Bleus’ rugby union.
