Rugby: Rugby-France ready to enter uncharted waters against new-look Springboks

PARIS (Reuters) – France are expecting the unexpected when they face a new-look South Africa in their World Cup quarter-final clash at the Stade de France on Sunday.

South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber has named a surprising starting line-up with a new halfback pairing of Manie Libbok and Cobus Reinach, veteran Duane Vermeulen at number eight and only five forwards on the bench – choices that have been much debated and not necessarily well understood.

“We could be surprised until kickoff. We’re getting ready for everything,” France manager Raphael Ibanez told a press conference on Saturday.

While France’s creativity, with the return of captain Antoine Dupont after the scrumhalf’s surgery on a broken cheekbone, could make the difference, Les Bleus are well aware that flair will count for nothing if they don’t match the Springboks at the breakdown.

“We’re quite calm. We talked a lot between the forwards,” said lock Cameron Woki, who with Thibaud Flament will face one of the most formidable second rows in Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth.

“We’ve been talking a lot about the breakdown.”

The squad welcomed the return of Dupont and are confident that crowd support will also play a big part, just like it did in Marseille when France beat South Africa 30-26 in their last meeting last November.

“We are serene because Antoine is back,” hooker Peato Mauvaka said.

“We need the fans who have always pushed us. It’s a plus, the public will be our 16th man and will help us push our limits,” said Woki, who was born near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Ibanez believes France have got everything going for them before Sunday’s clash between the world number two and three teams.

“We’ve been together for 15 weeks now. We have the crowd with us, we feel they are ready to be behind us,” the former France captain said.

“It’s a big game. Playing against South Africa, who won the World Cup four years ago, it doesn’t get better than this.”

South Africa won the only previous World Cup encounter between the two sides 19-15 in the semi-finals in Durban in 1995 – a match some say involved debatable refereeing decisions.

The first two quarter-finals will be played on Saturday with Argentina taking on Wales in Marseille before top-ranked Ireland face three-time champions New Zealand in Paris.

England will play Fiji in Marseille on Sunday, and the winner will then face the winner of the South Africa v France game.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Hugh Lawson)