Boks brace for French fire in Paris

Felix Jones has dismissed suggestions that Les Bleus are out for payback after their 2023 World Cup quarter-final heartbreak.

The Springbok assistant coach addressed the media on Monday ahead of the blockbuster clash in Paris on Saturday night.

It will be the first meeting between the two world heavyweights since that epic 29-28 Bok victory which ended French hopes of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil.

“We enjoy it every time we’re here in France,” Jones said. “We’ve got fond memories, even from the match we lost in Marseille in 2022. What happened in 2023 was positive for many reasons – but that’s in the past. Our focus now is to give ourselves the best chance to perform well on Saturday.”

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Jones refused to be drawn into talk of revenge but admitted it’s only natural that Fabien Galthié’s men will be desperate to set the record straight.

“I don’t know if they see it as a revenge match,” he said. “I’m not sure how they’re speaking about it in their camp, but it would be hard to deny they’ll have some regrets from that game they’d like to make right.”

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While French media have billed the showdown as their biggest Test of the year, Jones stressed that the Boks treat every match as a major assignment.

“I wouldn’t say any single Test is bigger than another,” he added. “We’ve had big games against New Zealand, lost one to Australia, and still have Italy, Ireland, and Wales ahead. Every game is massive, though I can understand the attention this one gets after the World Cup.”

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Jones expects a full-strength and fired-up French side, vastly different from the experimental outfit that lost to the All Blacks earlier this year.

“They’re a huge threat – their entire pack is tough, and they’ve built serious depth in recent years,” said Jones. “We’re expecting the same kind of battle we had with them in 2022 and 2023.”

On the delayed Bok team announcement, shifted from Monday to Thursday, Jones explained that the selectors want to make the most informed call possible – particularly after Ox Nche’s injury.

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“If you look at our history, we often change the day of our announcements,” he said. “We’ve got a very competitive squad, and we want to make sure we get our selection right.”

Johan Grobbelaar, meanwhile, could feature this weekend and said the prospect of facing France in Paris would be the biggest moment of his Test career so far.

“It would be a massive opportunity,” said the Bulls hooker. “This is my first time in Paris, and to be here with players of this quality is awesome. I think it’s going to be a huge battle.”

The Springboks make a winning start to their Outgoing Tour ✅🏉

All focus is on Saturday’s heavyweight clash at Stade de France 🍿#SSRugby | #QuilterNS pic.twitter.com/jnIqEEVrM1

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