The victory would have eased many green — or should that be hyper-jade — nerves as the defending champions can now set their sights on Paris and a clash with Ireland for supremacy in a group, long dubbed the “Pool of Death”.
The victory does give them the luxury to dig deeper into their squad for the matches against Romania in Bordeaux and Tonga at this stadium at the start of next month.
For a while though, in front of 63,566 spectators, for the first time in their away jerseys at the World Cup, the Boks looked hyper-jaded.
A hot and steamy afternoon in France’s second city became tight and tense as the second half started with the Boks, despite their large claim to territory and possession, holding a slender 6-3 lead.
Never mind halftime naartjies, the Boks had a lot on their plate at the break.
Scotland’s teams have made steady headway in the United Rugby Championship. Their forwards have proved adept at meeting the physical confrontation South African teams have presented them.
That showed in the first half
…. to be continued
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