Archive: France v South Africa, Rugby World Cup quarter-final, Stade de France, 15 October 2023. Photo: Like tears in rain / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, resized, tinted and annotated by SA Business Lens. The adapted photograph and coaching overlay are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Team marks are excluded from that licence and remain the property of FFR / SA Rugby. No affiliation or endorsement. The annotations are coaching review prompts from one still, not a verdict on its timing, cause or legality.

The Springboks put 66 points past Italy. So why does Ox Nché say their scrum still needs work? With France next, the loosehead prop says the South African pack must tighten its execution.

In a report published by SA Rugby on 11 November, the loosehead prop said the pack had drifted from its system in the 66-7 win in Turin on 7 November. His warning was about coordination: “we just weren’t on the same page as a pack”.

South Africa faces France at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday, 13 November, at 22:10 South African time. SA Rugby lists SuperSport as the live broadcaster.

Why the big win does not settle the scrum question

Nché credited Italy with applying pressure and said the Boks had identified solutions. France, he cautioned, brings a powerful pack with a strong appetite for scrummaging. “They love the scrum,” he said.

SBL analysis: A final score measures the outcome of the whole match. It cannot show whether every part of a team’s game worked as intended. Nché’s comments give supporters a more useful question for Friday: can the forwards stay connected under sustained pressure, rather than simply produce another large winning margin?

Erasmus keeps faith, with a front-row switch

Rassie Erasmus has chosen continuity rather than a broad reshuffle. In the team announced on 9 November, Wilco Louw replaces Thomas du Toit in the starting front row alongside Nché and Malcolm Marx. Du Toit moves to the bench.

Cobus Reinach comes into the replacements for Grant Williams. The starting backline is unchanged, with Morne van den Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu at halfback, while the bench again contains six forwards and two backs.

Erasmus described the Louw–Du Toit switch as rotation and pointed to Reinach’s experience of French conditions from his time with Montpellier.

There is a final to chase

The match forms part of the inaugural Nations Championship. After six rounds across July and November, teams are ranked within their hemisphere groups. The northern and southern leaders meet in the Grand Final; the remaining teams face their equivalent-ranked opponents.

The competition’s official Finals Weekend guide confirms that those deciding matches take place at Allianz Stadium in London from 27 to 29 November. Friday is a step towards that weekend, not the final itself.

For Bok supporters, the immediate watchpoint is clear: whether the pack’s execution matches the result South Africa wants. The Italy score provides confidence. Nché’s assessment explains why the preparation cannot stop there.

More South African sports coverage: SBL Sport.

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