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Everything to prove — Six Nations and Bok clash will define France’s season

Everything to prove — Six Nations and Bok clash will define France’s season
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 16: Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa head coach looks on prior to the Autumn Nations Series 2024 match between England and South Africa at Allianz Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Jon Cardinelli
By Jon Cardinelli
26 Jan 2025
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Les Bleus have everything to prove in the tournament starting on 31 January, and in November’s Test against the Springboks.

The final round of the Champions Cup pool phase highlighted the gulf between the European superpowers and South African rugby at club level.

Three Irish teams qualified for the Champions Cup playoffs and a fourth, Connacht, finished the Challenge Cup pool phase unbeaten to earn the top seed ahead of the round of 16. Ten French sides qualified for the European playoffs – five in the Champions Cup and five in the Challenge Cup.

After a disastrous Champions Cup campaign, the Bulls and Sharks have dropped out of the race for the biggest title in club rugby and will compete in Europe’s second tier, along with the Lions. The Stormers have been knocked out completely after finishing dead last in their Champions Cup pool.

France (still) have everything to prove


Recent results certainly tell a story about the strength of Irish and French rugby, and there’s a strong chance that we will see a repeat of last season’s final with Leinster playing Toulouse.

That said, there are other French teams who will challenge for a place in the Champions Cup final, which will be staged in Cardiff, Wales, on 24 May. They include Bordeaux-Bégles, who thrashed the Sharks 66-12 recently, as well as two-time European champions La Rochelle.

At a glance, it may appear as if all the momentum is with French rugby and that the northern hemisphere teams have the edge over their South African counterparts at every level of the game. However, club form doesn’t always translate to the international stage.

Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that France in particular will have everything to prove in the Six Nations, which kicks off next weekend, and in the big Tests in November, where they will have the chance to atone for their loss to the Boks in what was a dramatic 2023 World Cup quarterfinal.

France Six Nations France coach Fabien Galthié looks on before their Six Nations match against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 10 February 2024. (Photo: Stu Forster / Getty Images)



Coach Fabien Galthié guided France to a Six Nations title in 2022 – the nation’s first in 12 years. Although Ireland finished that season at the top of the rankings, the French were widely recognised as the best team in the world.

But Les Bleus failed to progress over the next two seasons, surrendering the Six Nations title to Ireland before bombing out of their World Cup at home.

France’s clubs have continued to dominate in Europe – it’s been five years since a team that isn’t French has won the Champions Cup – and their domestic competition, the Top 14, has continued to thrive. Nevertheless, Galthié and everyone in the national set-up are under pressure to produce results, and 2025 could be a watershed year.

France have already announced that they will tour New Zealand this July without their best players. The decision to rest their stars has been widely condemned by the international rugby community.

France tend to do things their own way, and have responded to all criticism with the traditional Gallic shrug. If they win the Six Nations and go on to beat the best southern hemisphere nations in Europe in November, they may feel that the decision to sacrifice the series in New Zealand was justified.

On the other hand, if they finish second in the Six Nations for the third consecutive season, sustain three heavy losses in New Zealand and go on to lose the grudge match against the Boks in November, fans in their country will start to question the methods of the coaches and administration.

The performances at club level and in the World Rugby U20 Championships – France have won three of the last four age-group tournaments – have showcased the incredible skill and depth in the country. And yet, for all the talent at their disposal, Les Bleus have failed to realise their potential at the highest level in recent years.

Six Nations stepping stone


If France want to finish 2025 as the best team in the world, they will first have to prove that they are the best team in Europe.

The draw certainly favours Ireland, who will face two other strong contenders, England and France, in Dublin, where they haven’t lost to another northern hemisphere team since 2021.

Ireland will be without Andy Farrell, who has taken a temporary leave of absence to concentrate on his role as British & Irish Lions head coach ahead of the upcoming tour to Australia. Assistant coach Simon Easterby will lead Ireland for the next few months as they push for an unprecedented hat-trick of Six Nations titles.

Last year, France were without their best player, Antoine Dupont, after the scrumhalf took on a temporary role with the national sevens side. The move paid off, as Dupont and France finished the tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris with the gold medal.

Dupont returned to the fifteens side in November, and France went on to beat Japan, New Zealand and Argentina on consecutive weekends. No other team from the northern hemisphere managed a clean sweep of their southern counterparts, and France may well believe that another Six Nations title is in the offing.

If France picks up a substantial win against Wales in Paris next Friday, as well as away victories against England and Italy, they will go into the all-important round four clash in Dublin with confidence and momentum.

It’s a favourable draw, all things considered, as they will host Scotland – who recently lost captain Sione Tuipulotu to a serious injury – in the final round. If France play to their potential, they could well finish the tournament with a Grand Slam.

Coach Rassie Erasmus at the Boks’ Autumn Nations Series match against England at Twickenham on 16 November 2024. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)


Boks watching closely


Rassie Erasmus and his army of Bok analysts will be watching France closely over the next few months. It will be interesting to see how the French adapt to the new laws and whether they carry their November form through to the Six Nations or fall short once again.

To reiterate, the best French combination – featuring Dupont, Damian Penaud and other bona fide superstars – will miss the mid-year tour to New Zealand to the national team’s resting protocols and will only regroup ahead of the Tests in November.

All that considered, this Six Nations tournament presents Erasmus and company with a final opportunity to assess the French threat before France and South Africa meet later this year.

South Africa’s own tour of New Zealand – and the prospect of a rare win at Eden Park – will dominate much of the rugby conversation, but the Boks will be equally motivated to claim wins in France and Ireland on what promises to be an epic sojourn to Europe.

If Ireland win the Six Nations, and if a clutch of Irish stars inspire the Lions to a series win in Australia, the aura around that team will continue to grow.

Fans and critics in the northern hemisphere will start arguing that the team wearing emerald green – rather than the side in green and gold – is the best in the world.

All arguments will be settled when Ireland host the Boks in November. The Boks certainly won’t want for motivation, given that they’ve lost four of their past five matches against Ireland and last won in Dublin in 2012. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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