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Some victories carry dual importance in the statement they convey. Amid the flood of weekend rugby Tests, it was Saturday night's outcome in the French capital that will echo most enduringly across the globe. Not just the final score, but the way the manner of achievement. To say that South Africa shattered a number of comfortable theories would be an modest description of the season.

Shifting Momentum

Forget about the theory, for example, that France would make amends for the disappointment of their World Cup quarter-final defeat. That entering the final quarter with a narrow lead and an additional player would translate into inevitable glory. That even without their key player Antoine Dupont, they still had sufficient strategies to keep the big beasts safely at bay.

As it turned out, it was a case of counting their poulets prematurely. Having been 17-13 down, the reduced Springboks concluded with registering 19 consecutive points, confirming their standing as a team who increasingly deliver their finest rugby for the most demanding scenarios. If overpowering New Zealand in Wellington in September was a statement, this was definitive evidence that the top-ranked team are cultivating an greater resilience.

Set-Piece Superiority

If anything, Rassie Erasmus’s champion Bok forwards are starting to make everyone else look less committed by contrast. Both northern hemisphere teams experienced their periods of promise over the two-day period but lacked entirely the same dominant forwards that systematically dismantled the home side to rubble in the closing period. Several up-and-coming young France's pack members are coming through but, by the end, Saturday night was a mismatch in experience.

What was perhaps even more striking was the inner fortitude underpinning it all. Missing their lock forward – issued a 38th-minute straight red for a shoulder to the head of the French full-back – the Springboks could easily have lost their composure. As it happened they simply circled the wagons and proceeded to taking the deflated French side to what a retired hooker described as “the hurt locker.”

Guidance and Example

Post-game, having been carried around the venue on the gigantic shoulders of two key forwards to mark his hundredth Test, the South African skipper, the flanker, repeatedly stressed how several of his squad have been needed to overcome off-field adversity and how he hoped his side would in the same way continue to inspire people.

The insightful David Flatman also made an shrewd observation on television, stating that his results increasingly make him the parallel figure of the legendary football manager. If South Africa do go on to win a third successive World Cup there will be absolute certainty. Should they fail to achieve it, the intelligent way in which the coach has refreshed a possibly veteran roster has been an object lesson to everyone.

Young Stars

Take for example his 23-year-old fly-half the newcomer who skipped over for the decisive touchdown that decisively broke the home defense. Additionally the scrum-half, a further backline player with explosive speed and an more acute vision for space. Undoubtedly it is an advantage to play behind a gargantuan pack, with the inside back adding physicality, but the continuing evolution of the Springboks from intimidating giants into a team who can also display finesse and deliver telling blows is extraordinary.

Glimpses of French Quality

However, it should not be thought that the French team were utterly overwhelmed, notwithstanding their weak ending. The wing's second try in the right corner was a clear example. The set-piece strength that tied in the South African pack, the superb distribution from Ramos and the winger's clinical finish into the advertising hoardings all displayed the characteristics of a side with considerable ability, even in the absence of Dupont.

Yet that in the end was insufficient, which really is a sobering thought for competing teams. It is inconceivable, for example, that Scotland could have gone 17-0 down to South Africa and mounted a comeback in the way they did in their fixture. And for all England’s late resurgence, there still exists a gap to close before the England team can be certain of standing up to the world's top team with all at stake.

European Prospects

Beating an improving Fiji was challenging on the weekend although the upcoming showdown against the the Kiwis will be the contest that truly shapes their November Tests. The visitors are certainly vulnerable, especially missing their key midfielder in their backline, but when it comes to taking their chances they remain a cut above almost all the northern hemisphere teams.

Scotland were notably at fault of not finishing off the final nails and uncertainties still hang over the red rose's perfect backline combination. It is acceptable ending matches well – and infinitely better than fading in the closing stages – but their admirable nine-match unbeaten run this year has so far shown just one success over world-class sides, a close result over the French in earlier in the year.

Future Prospects

Hence the importance of this next weekend. Reading between the lines it would look like a number of adjustments are expected in the team selection, with key players returning to the side. In the pack, in the same way, familiar faces should all be back from the beginning.

Yet context is key, in sport as in existence. In the lead-up to the upcoming world championship the {rest