The Springboks will visit France in Saint-Denis on Saturday for the first time since edging the hosts 29-28 in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Le Bleus scrumhalf Maxime Lucu has already invoked the memory of that fateful loss as motivation for France to settle a score with Rassie Erasmus' side.
"It was a massive defeat for us", Lucu told EPCR rugby of the heartbreak at the Stade de France.
"For us, the French people, it's really stuck with us. It was our World Cup and they came and stole it off us. It was such a great game."
French rugby has been on the up in recent years. They and Ireland have become the dominant forces in the Northern Hemisphere, each winning two of the last four Six Nations tournaments. Les Bleus are the current holders.
Furthermore, France have dominated at youth level and won three of the last five U20 World Rugby Championships - reaching the final of another and at least the semi-finals of all.
Given that this run dates back to 2018 - before COVID-19 saw three editions of this tournament cancelled from 2020-2022 - France should, by now, be reaping the rewards of their solid structural development.
However, Rassie Erasmus and his team have managed to plug the gaps in the Springboks' talent identification and development over his eight years as Director of Rugby, and the Boks have thus always remained one step ahead of France at senior level.
The success shows no sign of abating. The Boks have won the last two Rugby Championship titles - going back-to-back for the first time in their history. They began their end-of-year tour with a 61-7 drubbing of Japan.
France and the Northern Hemisphere are still awaiting the turning point at which they take control of the rugby world. If ever there could be a statement of intent, a win against the back-to-back reigning world champions without injured star scrumhalf Antoine Dupont would be difficult to outdo.
Key details
Date: Saturday, November 8 at 10:10PM CAT (8:10 PM GMT)
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
How to watch: The match is available on SuperSport
Team News
Antoine Dupont has been left out of the France side, but this should come as no great surprise as he continues his injury recovery. According to French publications L'Equipe and Midi Olympique, regular captain Dupont is not yet match-ready for Fabien Galthie's side despite having returned to training. He is likely to be ready to return to action only next month.
For the Springboks, Siya Kolisi becomes the ninth Springbok ever to reach 100 Test caps. Boan Venter takes the place of the injured Ox Nche at loosehead prop and partners with tighthead prop Thomas du Toit.
Eben Etzebeth slots in at lock and Pieter-Steph du Toit at flanker. The back row, aside from du Toit and Kolisi, also features eighthman Jasper Wiese.
Damian Willemse slots in at fullback, with Cheslin Kolbe partnering Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wings. On the bench, RG Snyman replaces the injured Kwagga Smith.
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Ruan Nortje, 21 Andre Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok.
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Nolann le Garrec, 8 Mickael Guillard, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Regis Montagne, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Baptiste Erdocio Replacements: 16 Guilaume Cramont, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Nicolas Depoortere.
Stats
South Africa have won eight of their last nine Tests against France.
In total, the Springboks have won 28 out of 46 Tests against France. Les Bleus have won only 12, with six draws.
All of the last four Tests between South Africa and France have been decided by four points or fewer.
Siya Kolisi makes his 100th Test appearance for the Springboks, while Rassie Erasmus presides over his 50th as head coach.