When it came to deciding which team from the northern hemisphere is most likely to push the Springboks for their world leader status in 2025 and for their Rugby World Cup crown in 2027 the Six Nations took us full circle, and then added in a curveball.
The competition started with an expectation that France would emerge as the winners and push Ireland, the winners in the past two seasons, into second place. There were also suggestions Ireland might have got to the peak of the hill and be ready to start descending on the other side. Were they still good enough to be ranked in the so-called “big four” with SA, New Zealand and France?
However, when Ireland started strongly with three good wins and France suffered a one-point upset against England in Paris, the answer went against the perception. If there were warning bells clanging about Ireland they weren’t noticed or taken seriously. We felt we had the answer. When France travelled to Dublin last week for what became the decider, it was the hosts who started as hot favourites.
That perception though was buried under a second half French tidal wave, with Ireland going down 42-27 and frankly being lucky to end just 15 points adrift. That left France needing to just beat Scotland in the final game of the competition and that they duly did, even though France were blighted by cards in the first half and it was clear Scotland had come to play.
Like they did at Twickenham a few weeks ago, Scotland again managed to win a fair share of possession and they also had numerous entries into the French 22. Yet they only managed to score one try, which was again a testament to the aspect of the French game that shone through in Dublin as much as their combination of class, power and pace on attack did — their defence.
France have become a very difficult side to score against, something the Boks will be mindful of when they open their end of year tour in Paris at the beginning of November. That they are a dangerous attacking side is beyond question. When Louis Bielle-Barrey set up Gael Fickou by drawing two defenders in his own 22, it was France’s 30th try of the 2025 edition of the Six Nations — breaking the record set by England when that nation was building to its first and so far only World Cup title in 2001.
Are France building to their first World Cup title? Well, there were stages of the game against Scotland in which they didn’t look invincible. But they should have won at Twickenham had they taken just one of the myriad of chances they missed out on in that game and had they done so they would have achieved what for them has become a rare Grand Slam.
And while Scotland fought hard, France were still always too good, as they were when they went past the 70 mark against Italy in Rome and in going to nearly 50 in an otherwise regulation win over Wales at the start of the competition.
Bielle-Barrey, who broke a try-scoring record in the Six Nations by scoring eight, has started being likened to Cheslin Kolbe, who won the SA Player of the Year Award at the weekend. Kolbe lit up the French league for several years when he was playing there but now they have their own Kolbe clone and we can expect a like for like clash when the sides meet in November.
Yet while France did what we expected them to by beating Scotland and clinching the title, it was England who delivered the curveball in the sense that their record-breaking win over Wales earlier on what was marketed as Super Saturday confirmed the rise of SA’s old foe and their arrival as a global threat.
There will no doubt be some saying it was only Wales they beat 68-14, but it was a Welsh side who went in with a lot to play for and were playing at home. England’s was a statement performance.
There were caveats attached to both their big wins in the Championship against France and Scotland, with both of those sides failing to take opportunities to win. But the fact is England did get across the line as winners, and it appears to have infused them with confidence and emboldened them.
The all-embracing performance against Italy last Sunday was followed up by an even better one in Cardiff and it enabled them to finish second, which is probably where they are in Europe right now as Ireland, who only just hit their target by scoring four tries in a five-point win over Italy, do appear to be on the wane.
The Boks don’t play England this November but they will be playing Ireland and will be looking to confirm a perception that had its genesis in the All Blacks’ good win in Dublin last November.
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