France cling on for furious victory against South Africa after Dupont sizzles

France 21-19 South Africa Scrum-half key in thriller full of twists and turns Friday night at the Stade de France may just be the best show in sport. The French had laid on a full Cecil B DeMille production: fireworks, flamethrowers, floodlights, a multicoloured drone show involv

France 21-19 South Africa Scrum-half key in thriller full of twists and turns Friday night at the Stade de France may just be the best show in sport. The French had laid on a full Cecil B DeMille production: fireworks, flamethrowers, floodlights, a multicoloured drone show involving a three-storey-tall cockerel that then reassembled itself into a beating red, blue and white heart before transforming into a vast tricolore along with 150 dancers carrying LEDs who performed to an ear-splitting choral rendition of Madonna’s Like a Prayer. Astonishingly enough, what came after actually lived up to it.

It had twists and turns, a scattering of superb performances from some of the finest players in the game, a fistful of red and yellow cards, fantastic free-wheeling tries and several agonisingly intense stretches of scrummaging and defence, a clutch of hugely controversial decisions by both coaches and the referee, and one crucial missed conversion. At the end of it all, somehow, France had won by two points, 21-19, in their first victory against the Springboks at their national stadium in 21 years. Continue reading...