14 November 2026
Springbok lock Ruan Nortjé admitted South Africa’s 21–19 loss to France at the Stade de France on Friday night was difficult to accept, noting the weight of expectations attached to the national jersey. Speaking after the Nations Championship clash, the second-rower credited the hosts while stressing the squad's desire to deliver for supporters back home.
“It’s always tough to lose in a Springbok jersey,” Nortjé said. “We know the fans back home always expect us to win, and we want to make them proud.”
The narrow defeat is South Africa's first in the inaugural competition and leaves their path to the tournament final out of their own hands. Ahead of next weekend's fixture against Ireland, Nortjé said the focus will be on fixing errors and bouncing back over the remainder of the tour.
“We knew if we wanted to be in the final, we had to win, so now we’ve taken that a bit out of our own hands and have to rely on other results,” Nortjé said. “It’s going to be all about looking at what we did wrong and what we can improve. At the end of the day it’s about making South African people proud, and that’ll be our biggest goal over the next two weeks.”
Despite the partisan Parisian crowd, Nortjé appreciated the intensity of the occasion in only his second appearance at the venue. He noted that the players thrive on the high-pressure environment that comes with facing France.
“It’s electrifying. You have so much energy, and even though the crowd is against you, you feed off it,” he said. “It’s a lot of adrenaline, and it’s really special to be part of it, to be privileged and blessed that God gave us the opportunity to play in such a wonderful arena. It’s always special to be part of a France-Springboks game.”