Five Springbok wins at Stade de France ahead of Friday’s clash
The Springboks take an unbeaten Paris record against France into Friday's Nations Championship Test, and IOL has picked out five of their most memorable wins at the venue.
The Springboks go into Friday’s Nations Championship Test against France with a strong record to protect. According to IOL, South Africa are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Les Bleus at the Stade de France.
The kick-off is at 10.10pm. Head coach Rassie Erasmus has made minimal changes to the team that beat Italy 66-7 last weekend. The stadium in Saint-Denis is also where the Boks won the Rugby World Cup in 2007 and 2023.
Five wins that stand out
2023 World Cup quarter-final. South Africa edged a fired-up France 29-28 in front of a noisy home crowd. Cheslin Kolbe charged down Thomas Ramos’s conversion attempt, and a 22-metre restart and scrum called by fullback Damian Willemse helped win a penalty that brought momentum.
Kolisi’s 100th Test in 2025. Lock Lood de Jager was sent off early for a high tackle on Ramos, yet the Boks played the entire second half with 14 men and won 32-17. The match was also the 100th Test for captain Siya Kolisi.
Stoppage-time win in 2018. Replacement hooker Bongi Mbonambi scored from a rolling maul in the 85th minute, and Handré Pollard added the conversion for a 29-26 victory. Pollard had already kicked five penalties.
Four wins in 2017. South Africa beat France four times in a single season, three in a home series and one on the November tour. The last was a 19-18 win in Paris under coach Allister Coetzee. Pollard missed several kicks, but he converted Jesse Kriel’s try and added two penalties.
Ending the drought in 2013. France had won every home meeting between the two sides since 1997 until Heyneke Meyer’s Boks won 19-10. Morné Steyn kicked 11 points and JP Pietersen scored the only try. Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit both came off the bench, and the win helped the Boks finish that year-end tour unbeaten.
What it means for fans
Supporters in South Africa should note the late start of 10.10pm on Friday. The Boks will want to extend a run that began in 2013, and IOL says Erasmus has picked a strong squad to do it.
This story is based on reporting by IOL.
