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Some victories deliver dual significance in the lesson they communicate. Within the flood of weekend Test matches, it was the Saturday evening score in Paris that will resonate most enduringly across both hemispheres. Not merely the final score, but equally the style of achievement. To say that the Springboks overturned several comfortable theories would be an understatement of the season.

Unexpected Turnaround

Discard the notion, for example, that France would rectify the disappointment of their World Cup last-eight loss. Assuming that going into the last period with a slight advantage and an additional player would translate into certain victory. Despite missing their star man their scrum-half, they still had sufficient tranquiliser darts to contain the big beasts under control.

On the contrary, it was a case of counting their poulets prematurely. Initially trailing by four points, the reduced Springboks concluded with scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their reputation as a team who more and more reserve their top performance for the toughest scenarios. While overpowering New Zealand in Wellington in the last quarter was a statement, now came conclusive proof that the world’s No 1 side are cultivating an more robust mentality.

Set-Piece Superiority

Actually, the coach's experienced front eight are beginning to make all other teams look less intense by contrast. The Scottish and English sides experienced their moments over the weekend but possessed nothing like the same earthmovers that systematically dismantled the home side to ruins in the final thirty minutes. Some promising young France's pack members are developing but, by the end, Saturday night was a mismatch in experience.

What was perhaps even more striking was the mental strength underpinning it all. In the absence of the second-rower – issued a dismissal before halftime for a shoulder to the head of the French full-back – the Boks could easily have become disorganized. On the contrary they simply regrouped and proceeded to taking the disheartened boys in blue to what one former French international referred to as “the hurt locker.”

Guidance and Example

Following the match, having been hoisted around the venue on the powerful backs of the lock pairing to mark his 100th cap, the Springbok captain, the flanker, repeatedly stressed how a significant number of his team have been obliged to rise above life difficulties and how he wished his squad would likewise continue to inspire fans.

The perceptive an analyst also made an perceptive observation on sports media, stating that Erasmus’s record more and more make him the rugby coaching equivalent of Sir Alex Ferguson. In the event that the world champions succeed in win a third successive World Cup there will be complete assurance. Should they come up short, the clever way in which the mentor has revitalized a possibly veteran team has been an object lesson to everyone.

Emerging Talent

Take for example his young playmaker the newcomer who skipped over for the closing score that effectively shattered the opposition line. Additionally another half-back, a second backline player with blistering pace and an more acute vision for space. Of course it helps to have the support of a massive forward unit, with André Esterhuizen riding shotgun, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the Boks from intimidating giants into a team who can also float like butterflies and sting like bees is extraordinary.

French Flashes

However, it should not be thought that the home side were totally outclassed, in spite of their fading performance. The wing's second try in the wing area was a good illustration. The power up front that occupied the visiting eight, the excellent wide ball from the playmaker and the winger's clinical finish into the advertising hoardings all displayed the hallmarks of a squad with significant talent, even in the absence of Dupont.

Yet that turned out to be insufficient, which is a daunting prospect for all other nations. It is inconceivable, for example, that the visitors could have gone 17-0 down to the Springboks and mounted a comeback in the way they did in their fixture. Notwithstanding the English team's last-quarter improvement, there is a journey ahead before the England team can be confident of standing up to the South African powerhouses with all at stake.

Home Nations' Tests

Defeating an Pacific Island team was challenging on match day although the upcoming showdown against the New Zealand will be the contest that accurately reflects their November Tests. The All Blacks are definitely still beatable, notably absent an influential back in their center, but when it comes to converting pressure into points they remain a cut above the majority of the European sides.

Scotland were particularly guilty of missing the chance to secure the decisive blows and uncertainties still apply to the red rose's perfect backline combination. It is acceptable finishing games strongly – and infinitely better than succumbing at the death – but their commendable nine-match unbeaten run this year has so far featured only one win over world-class sides, a one-point home victory over the French in February.

Future Prospects

Therefore the importance of this coming Saturday. Analyzing the situation it would appear various alterations are likely in the starting lineup, with established stars being reinstated to the side. In the pack, similarly, first-choice players should return from the start.

But everything is relative, in sport as in life. Between now and the next global tournament the {rest