France player ratings: Fabien Galthie and superstar back make ‘costly’ errors as Les Bleus ‘blown away’ by Springboks
Following a 32-17 defeat to the Springboks in the international clash at the Stade de France on Saturday, here are the player ratings for France.
15 Thomas Ramos: Two superb assists and accurate off the tee. It looked like Ramos was going to guide France to victory until the Springboks stepped it up a gear in the final quarter. 8
14 Damian Penaud: Becoming France’s record try-scorer will be of little consolation for Penaud but he should still be proud of that achievement. They were two good finishes as well. 7
13 Pierre-Louis Barassi: Didn’t see too much of the ball and when he did Barassi tended to run into a Springboks-shaped wall. He ultimately struggled to make much of an impact. 5
12 Gael Fickou: Fickou was solid on both sides of the ball, but he couldn’t quite break free and was taken off with a quarter of the match remaining. However, that might have been a mistake given his experience, as they crumbled after that. 6
Huge error
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey: A strange game from the wing. He always strikes fear into opposition defenders when he has the ball, but that only really happened once. Bielle-Biarrey was otherwise kept reasonably quiet, and his yellow card late on proved costly. 5
10 Romain Ntamack: It was a mixed game from the fly-half. Should have done a better job of controlling the match when the Springboks went down to 14 as the French somewhat imploded. 5
9 Nolann le Garrec: Added another one to the highlight reel with a back-of-the-hand pass early on, but his nuts and bolts were of a high standard. They won the territorial battle with Le Garrec on the field while he kept the tempo high, before he was replaced and it all went wrong. 7
Springboks player ratings: Rassie’s Bomb Squad masterstroke ‘blows’ France away as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu produces on the ‘biggest stage’
8 Mickael Guillard: Gave his all for nigh on 50 minutes, carrying, tackling and winning a few collisions, but was it worthy of being picked ahead of Gregory Alldritt, who is a ubiquitous presence when he plays for France? We’re not so sure. 6
7 Paul Boudehent: Offered plenty around the field with his physicality proving useful in the closer exchanges, but South Africa ultimately managed to get on top after the break. 7
Absolute workhorse
6 Anthony Jelonch: An absolute workhorse who always goes about his business impressively, and he did so again on Saturday. Didn’t really deserve to be on the losing side. 8
5 Emmanuel Meafou: Won a few collisions, but Fabien Galthie probably wanted more from their New Zealand-born second-row. Was replaced early in the second period having not made a massive impact, despite some good moments. 6
4 Thibaud Flament: It feels like Flament is one of the more underrated locks around, despite being one of the best, and he once again put in a fine shift. Led the lineout well and was busy in the loose. 7
3 Regis Montagne: We expected the tighthead to come under serious pressure but, credit to Montagne, he generally held his own even though there was the odd issue. 6
2 Julien Marchand: Was one of France’s best, so it was odd to see him replaced early in the second period for the inexperienced Guillaume Cramont. It was obviously a pre-planned substitution, but it felt like one of Galthie’s big errors. 8
1 Baptiste Erdocio: Like Montagne, the scrum felt a big area of concern going into the match, but he limited the damage during his time on the field. 6
Replacements: They had two strong scrummaging props, another mammoth lock and two youngsters who have taken to Test rugby seamlessly come on, but they were blown away by the Springboks’ Bomb Squad. Maxime Lucu also surprisingly faltered as the bench simply could not handle the visitors in the final quarter. 3
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