France forwards coach William Servat, at a media briefing on Wednesday, said the the French will rise to the enormous challenge on Sunday at 21:00 when they face the Springboks in a 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris.
"There are always matches where the commitment is incredible. Take Portugal, a team that showed everyone that our sport is a fighting sport. As long as the spirit of our team is there and the players are willing to make sacrifices, these teams can do incredible things. Every nation knows how difficult it will be when they play South Africa.
“South Africa are a team that make a mark, a big and strong team. They cultivate this and bring a physical dimension that makes it difficult for teams playing them. The French team, with our Latin side and our pride, our players were able to rise to the challenge not long ago in Marseille.
“We’re preparing for this kind of thing, and the match will be of a rare intensity, as it was in November. I hope the medical staff [on duty] are ready, because players were queuing up for the concussion protocol [last time]. One thing’s for sure, the French will rise to the enormous challenge.”
William Servat said the French back-row are vital when they face the expected physical challenge of the Springboks:
“The back row is a strong component of the team, on a par with the other players. We need them and the others in the pack to complement each other if we are to meet the challenge we’re going to face. If we’re talking about the back-row that started against Italy, we've got a bit of everything, with players who can respond to the physical and defensive challenge - I'm thinking of Anthony [Jelonch] of course.
"Over the last four years, we've seen Grégory Alldritt's performances in this area, as a ball carrier, and also the quality of Charles Ollivon. All three are potential captains of France and leaders of this group along with Antoine [Dupont], Gaël [Fickou] and Julien [Marchand]. It’s a question of finding a balance between the breakdown area, the aerial area and the game in general.”