South Africa turned a hostile Stade de France into a centurion’s celebration, beating France 32 to 17 after playing the entire second half with fourteen men. Siya Kolisi’s 100th Test received the finish it deserved as the Springboks found clarity under pressure, defended with control, and closed with ruthless accuracy. Three tries in the final quarter flipped a one point interval deficit into a statement win that echoed the World Cup epic these sides shared two years ago.

France landed the first blow when Thomas Ramos shaped left, doubled back behind a ruck, and dinked a perfect kick into open grass for Damian Penaud to gather and score inside four minutes. Ramos then threaded the touchline conversion and later added another from Penaud’s second try after a sequence of penalties gave the hosts a five metre platform. Between those moments Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu steadied South Africa with two penalties, the first from long range, and kept the visitors in the fight.

The pivotal swing arrived eight minutes before halftime. Cobus Reinach, retreating behind a pressured ruck near halfway, spotted a sliver of space, slid through a tackle, and accelerated clear. He chipped over Ramos, won the race, and finished on the line for a momentum shifter that cut the gap to a single point. The half closed with fresh jeopardy when Lood de Jager made head contact on Ramos as the fullback fell in a tackle, which brought a permanent red for the lock and a one point deficit at the break.

Down a forward and with Paris roaring, the Springboks tightened their shape, trusted their bench, and leaned into maul pressure and a smarter territorial kick battle. Ramos nudged France four ahead with a penalty, but South Africa’s surge arrived on the hour. Andre Esterhuizen powered over at the back of a maul for the lead on 64 minutes, then Grant Williams sliced through from broken play after another maul was halted wide on the right to stretch the advantage inside the final ten.

Feinberg Mngomezulu, shifted to fullback once Manie Libbok entered at flyhalf, sealed the night with an angled run from the 22, rounding close to the posts and converting for a personal haul of 17 points and the sponsor’s man of the match award. Final ledger France 17 with two Penaud tries and Ramos at the tee, South Africa 32 with tries to Reinach, Esterhuizen, Williams, and Feinberg Mngomezulu plus two penalties and three conversions from the young playmaker. Kolisi’s milestone received a performance built on nerve, timing, and depth, with Italy, Ireland, and Wales now set to test that standard again.