Les Bleus take on the South African world champions this Saturday November 12 at the Vélodrome stadium. A beautiful and exciting match like a final.
“It’s a real test against a real army. The best, the ones who have the title, are them.” “In terms of engagement and intensity, we’re going to go up a notch or more.” Passing from Raphaël Ibanez to Thibaud Flament Laurent Labit, all the Blues have drawn on the same lexical field to present the test-match of this Saturday evening, November 12th: the one of the event.
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The confrontation between the Blues and the Boks fully deserves this title. The lawn of the Vélodrome will see the best performing team of the year, the only one undefeated up to that point, and the world title holder nation.
With, of course, stars aplenty on both sides of the field: Etzbeth, Kolbe, Dupont, Alldritt, Penaud, what do you want? The past and especially the future give an even stronger resonance to this duel.
The Blues have not beaten South Africa for thirteen years and a hard-won showdown at the Stadium of Toulouse (20-13).
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Since then, the Rainbow Nation giants have chained seven victories against the men of former coaches Saint-André, Novès and Brunel. Under the Galthié era, in fact, the XV of France has not yet had the opportunity to compete with the band of Pieter Steph du Toit.
If successful this Saturday, Antoine Dupont and his associates could boast that they have defeated every nation in the world’s top 10. If it’s not worth a trophy, it’s still an important result.
A quarterfinal reunion in 2023?
Since the triumph against New Zealand in November 2021, this meeting against the Springboks has not stopped trotting in heads.
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For the Blues, kings of Europe this winter, it will be a new fundamental maturity exam in view of the supreme goal that awaits them in a year’s time: “We must continue to build and grow, continues Laurent Labit. And the ‘South’ L Africa presents a team profile that we haven’t addressed yet.”
The Habs, specialists in offensive flashes and master tacticians, must also prove that they are at the highest level, in terms of physical density and aggression. Also, a week after being jostled by the Wallabies…
As if that weren’t enough, Saturday’s poster has a good chance – as long as we respect the logic of the current world ranking (that is, in order, Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa) – of being that of a quarter-final of the 2023 World Cup.
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What more could you ask for, then? That the teams are up to it, quite simply, to offer a great rugby evening at the Vélodrome.
