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Certain wins send twofold significance in the lesson they convey. Within the barrage of weekend international rugby fixtures, it was the Saturday evening outcome in Paris that will echo most enduringly across both hemispheres. Not merely the end result, but the way the manner of victory. To suggest that South Africa demolished a number of comfortable assumptions would be an modest description of the season.

Shifting Momentum

Discard the theory, for example, that the French team would rectify the injustice of their World Cup last-eight loss. That entering the closing stages with a slight advantage and an numerical superiority would result in inevitable glory. That even without their key player Antoine Dupont, they still had ample tranquiliser darts to keep the powerful opponents at a distance.

Instead, it was a case of counting their poulets before time. Having been 17-13 down, the reduced Springboks finished by scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their standing as a team who more and more reserve their top performance for the toughest situations. Whereas defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in the last quarter was a declaration, this was clear demonstration that the top-ranked team are cultivating an greater resilience.

Pack Power

If anything, Rassie Erasmus’s experienced front eight are increasingly make everyone else look less intense by contrast. Both northern hemisphere teams each enjoyed their promising spells over the recent fixtures but lacked entirely the same earthmovers that effectively reduced the French pack to landfill in the final thirty minutes. Some promising young France's pack members are developing but, by the end, Saturday night was hommes contre garçons.

Even more notable was the mental strength underpinning it all. Missing their lock forward – given a red card in the first half for a high tackle of Thomas Ramos – the South Africans could potentially faltered. As it happened they simply united and set about dragging the disheartened boys in blue to what one former French international described as “a place of suffering.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Afterwards, having been carried around the Stade de France on the gigantic shoulders of Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman to mark his hundredth Test, the team leader, Siya Kolisi, once again stressed how several of his squad have been obliged to conquer personal challenges and how he hoped his side would similarly continue to motivate others.

The ever-sage an analyst also made an shrewd point on broadcast, suggesting that his results progressively make him the parallel figure of the legendary football manager. If South Africa succeed in claim a third straight world title there will be complete assurance. Should they fall short, the smart way in which Erasmus has rejuvenated a potentially ageing roster has been an object lesson to everyone.

Young Stars

Look no further than his 23-year-old fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who sprinted past for the closing score that properly blew open the home defense. Additionally Grant Williams, a further half-back with explosive speed and an even sharper eye for a gap. Naturally it is an advantage to have the support of a massive forward unit, with the powerful center adding physicality, but the steady transformation of the Boks from physically imposing units into a squad who can also float like butterflies and strike decisively is hugely impressive.

French Flashes

This is not to imply that the French team were utterly overwhelmed, despite their weak ending. The wing's later touchdown in the wing area was a prime instance. The forward dominance that tied in the South African pack, the glorious long pass from Ramos and Penaud’s finishing dive into the advertising hoardings all demonstrated the hallmarks of a squad with significant talent, despite missing their captain.

But even that turned out to be inadequate, which truly represents a sobering thought for all other nations. There is no way, for instance, that the Scottish side could have fallen behind by 17 points to the Springboks and come galloping back in the way they did against the All Blacks. Notwithstanding the English team's late resurgence, there still exists a distance to travel before Steve Borthwick’s squad can be certain of standing up to the South African powerhouses with everything on the line.

European Prospects

Defeating an improving Fiji posed difficulties on the weekend although the next encounter against the the Kiwis will be the fixture that properly defines their end-of-year series. New Zealand are certainly vulnerable, notably absent an influential back in their center, but when it comes to converting pressure into points they are still a cut above the majority of the northern hemisphere teams.

The Scottish team were particularly guilty of not finishing off the killing points and uncertainties still apply to England’s optimal back division. It is acceptable ending matches well – and far superior than losing them late on – but their notable undefeated streak this year has so far featured only one win over world-class sides, a one-point home victory over France in earlier in the year.

Future Prospects

Hence the weight of this next weekend. Reading between the lines it would seem a number of adjustments are likely in the matchday squad, with experienced individuals being reinstated to the side. Among the forwards, in the same way, familiar faces should all be back from the start.

Yet everything is relative, in rugby as in life. From now until the upcoming world championship the {rest