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Some victories send double significance in the statement they communicate. Amid the flurry of weekend rugby Tests, it was Saturday night's score in Paris that will linger longest across the globe. Not only the final score, but the way the approach of victory. To claim that South Africa shattered several widely-held assumptions would be an understatement of the calendar.

Shifting Momentum

So much for the idea, for example, that the French team would make amends for the disappointment of their World Cup elimination. The belief that entering the closing stages with a narrow lead and an extra man would translate into inevitable glory. Even in the absence of their talisman their captain, they still had more than enough strategies to contain the big beasts safely at bay.

Instead, it was a case of counting their poulets prematurely. Initially trailing by four points, the South African side with a player sent off concluded with scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their status as a team who consistently reserve their top performance for the toughest situations. Whereas defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in earlier this year was a declaration, this was clear demonstration that the leading international squad are building an greater resilience.

Forward Dominance

Actually, the coach's champion Bok forwards are starting to make everyone else look less committed by comparison. Both northern hemisphere teams both had their promising spells over the two-day period but possessed nothing like the same earthmovers that effectively reduced the French pack to landfill in the closing period. Several up-and-coming young home nation players are emerging but, by the final whistle, Saturday night was a mismatch in experience.

Even more notable was the inner fortitude supporting it all. Without their lock forward – shown a dismissal before halftime for a shoulder to the head of the French full-back – the Springboks could might well have faltered. As it happened they merely circled the wagons and began dragging the disheartened boys in blue to what one former French international referred to as “the hurt locker.”

Guidance and Example

Post-game, having been hoisted around the venue on the immense frames of two key forwards to honor his hundredth Test, the South African skipper, the flanker, repeatedly emphasized how a significant number of his squad have been needed to rise above life difficulties and how he hoped his team would similarly continue to encourage people.

The perceptive an analyst also made an shrewd comment on television, proposing that Erasmus’s record increasingly make him the parallel figure of Sir Alex Ferguson. In the event that the world champions succeed in secure another global trophy there will be no doubt whatsoever. Even if they fail to achieve it, the clever way in which the mentor has refreshed a potentially ageing squad has been an exemplary model to everyone.

New Generation

Take for example his 23-year-old fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who skipped over for the late try that properly blew open the French windows. And also another half-back, a further backline player with blistering pace and an more acute ability to spot openings. Of course it is an advantage to play behind a massive forward unit, with the inside back adding physicality, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the South African team from scowling heavyweights into a squad who can also move with agility and strike decisively is hugely impressive.

Home Side's Moments

However, it should not be thought that the French team were completely dominated, notwithstanding their weak ending. Damian Penaud’s later touchdown in the wing area was a prime instance. The power up front that tied in the Bok forwards, the excellent wide ball from the full-back and the winger's clinical finish into the sideline boards all exhibited the hallmarks of a team with notable skill, without their captain.

But even that turned out to be not enough, which really is a humbling reality for everybody else. There is no way, for instance, that Scotland could have gone 17-0 down to the world champions and fought back in the way they did in their fixture. Despite the red rose's late resurgence, there remains a distance to travel before the national side can be certain of standing up to the world's top team with high stakes.

European Prospects

Defeating an Pacific Island team was challenging on Saturday although the next encounter against the the Kiwis will be the contest that properly defines their end-of-year series. The All Blacks are not invincible, particularly without their key midfielder in their center, but when it comes to taking their chances they are still a level above the majority of the northern hemisphere teams.

The Scottish team were notably at fault of missing the chance to secure the decisive blows and question marks still apply to England’s perfect backline combination. It is fine performing in the final quarter – and far superior than fading in the closing stages – but their admirable winning sequence this year has so far shown just one success over top-drawer opposition, a one-point home victory over Les Bleus in the winter.

Future Prospects

Therefore the significance of this upround. Interpreting the signals it would look like a number of adjustments are expected in the matchday squad, with established stars returning to the lineup. In the pack, in the same way, familiar faces should return from the beginning.

But perspective matters, in competition as in existence. Between now and the next global tournament the {rest