France ... 30 South Africa ... 10The Springbok's brief stay in Europe is not yet a tour from hell, but a torrid fortnight is in store. Scotland and, most worryingly, England await, after Saturday's record defeat in Marseilles in a display of spectacular ineptitude provoked the coach Rudolf Straueli into stinging criticism of his players.
"This was one of the worst performances ever by a Springbok side. Expectations are high, and it's not acceptable. Look at the statistics on turnovers and winning first-phase ball, I don't think we got a lineout in the first half-hour . . . it's unacceptable if you pick a pack to dominate and they don't. If it hadn't been for one or two handling mistakes, France would have given us an even bigger hiding."
To add to his worries, Straueli will have to manage without his young centre Jean de Villiers, who tore cruciate ligaments within 10 minutes of kick-off, while reports are awaited on neck injuries to props Willie Meyer and Lawrence Sephaka.
There is supposed to be a new look to Straueli's team but, while there were flashes of inspiration, they produced one basic error after another.
South Africa ceded 13 penalties to France's two, and were duly punished by Francois Gelez, who landed five penalty goals out of six. The lock Bakkies Botha was sent to the sin bin, and they were reduced to cheap shots such as Greef's shoulder barge on Thomas Castaignede with 25 minutes remaining.
"Average" was the verdict of captain Fabien Galthie, who provided their best moment five minutes after the break when he put up a pinpoint cross-field chip to provide the wing Cedric Heymans with a run-in for France's first try.
Bernard Laporte's untested three-quarter line came through the Test without the injured Tony Marsh. Castaignede, playing in the centre, provided a typical moment of inspiration on his return to international competition, a cheeky drop-goal produced from nothing on the half-hour.
Gelez, winning his fourth cap, looked a more than adequate replacement for Gerald Merceron (21), but the star of the evening was the debutant wing Vincent Clerc. The Toulouse player's burst of speed and perfectly timed pass to Galthie set up Heymans' try, and he scored France's second on 80 minutes, outpacing his opposite number Brent Russell to tap down replacement Xavier Garbajosa's kick ahead.
"A mythical place for French rugby," is Laporte's verdict on the concrete bowl in Marseilles, where the Olympique Marseille ultras brandish banners bearing the letters MTP, for Marseille tout puissant, "all powerful". The slogan could also refer to France's rugby players, unbeaten here against the Southern Hemisphere's best sides in successive years. Guardian Service
FRANCE: Brusque; Clerc, Castaignede (Garbajosa, 71), Traille, Heymans; Gelez, Galthie (capt); Crenca, Ibanez (Rue, 80), P De Villiers (Marconnet, 68), Pelous, Brouzet (Privat, 80), Betsen, Magne, Harinordoquy (Chabal, 80). T
SOUTH AFRICA: Greef (James, 80); Paulse, J De Villiers (Joubert, 8), Jacobs, Russell; Pretorius, De Kock; Sephaka (Van Biljoen, 50), Dalton, Meyer (Roux, h-t), Botha (Wannenburg, 57), Laubschagne, Krige (capt), Venter (Wentzel, 67), Van Niekerk.
Referee: A Rolland (Ireland).
