This weekend brings a repeat of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, where South Africa edged France 29–28 in Paris. France will look for redemption in front of a packed Stade de France, while the Springboks aim to extend their strong run of form. Below we take a betting-led view and finish with suggested plays.
France
France will play their first match of the November International series this weekend. They are coming off the back of a July Series in New Zealand which saw them lose all three matches. It must be taken into consideration that they did not send their full-strength side to New Zealand, giving some other players a chance to play in a big fixture. They did, however, get their year off to a good start as they won the 2025 Six Nations title after winning four of their five matches.
France starting XV:
15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damien Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Gaël Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Mickaël Guillard, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Régis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Baptiste Erdocio
Replacements: 16 Guillaume Cramont, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifénua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jégou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Nicolas Depoortère
South Africa
South Africa kicked off their November with a commanding 61–7 win over Japan in London. That followed a strong Rugby Championship campaign and they have now won four on the bounce, scoring 200 and conceding 74 across those matches.
South Africa starting XV:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 André Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok
Match details
Date: Saturday, 8 November
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 21:10 local (22:10 SAST; 20:10 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
Head-to-Head
A genuine modern rivalry. France beat the Boks 30–26 in 2022, but South Africa have won the other four of the last five, including that 29–28 World Cup epic. Recent meetings have often been high intensity with big momentum swings.
Betting and Verdict
South Africa are favourites to win the match and are trading at 1.83 while France are trading at 2.15 for the win. The draw is currently at 26.00.
France have been among the world’s elite for several seasons. Fresh legs after a quieter international winter should help, while South Africa arrive battle-hardened after a long campaign. Expect ferocity at the breakdown and kicking duels to feature. This game could be every bit as close as the bookies suggest but in front of a home crowd I fancy the French to take it.
Suggested Bet: France to win at 2.15
An alternative at a bigger price below
If you are looking for a bigger price consider the France by under 12.5 points at 3.00. Games between these sides are almost always tight especially in Paris and I think this one will go down to the sire.
Alternative Bet: Winning Margin France by 1-12 at 3.00
Click here for all South Africa v France Markets
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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