Les Bleus still smarting at refereeing decisions they believe cost the hosts place in World Cup final

Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones and hooker Malcolm Marx say the team is bracing for an intense battle against France in their Nations Championship fixture at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, on Friday.

Both agreed there may still be a “revenge” factor to the game from the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, which was won by a single point by the Boks, with the home team crying foul over the officiating, a major talking point in France.

“To be honest with you, I would imagine it’s still there,” Jones said on Tuesday, referring to the recent memories in France of a match in which the host nation felt they were painfully robbed.

“It was such a significant game that I don’t think it goes away easily. A lot of that niggle is on the field and it comes back to the intensity. But most of it stops there.

“[France head coach] Fabien Galthié is one of the first coaches from outside Ireland that I got to know. He came over and visited myself, Rassie [Erasmus] and Jacques [Nienaber, the Bok’s victorious 2023 World Cup coach when Erasmus was director of rugby] when we were at Munster, and [France’s team manager] Raphaël Ibañez did the same.

“So there are some good relationships off the field, but when we’re on the field, we want to win and we have no doubt they want to as well, given the results of the last one or two games.”

Marx, who missed out on most of the Rugby World Cup in 2023 due to a serious injury, said in 2023 France “obviously felt they should have been in the World Cup final, which does leave a bit of a scar.

“But if that’s their mentality, that’s their choice. We can only control the way we prepare and the way we approach a game and that’s to focus on ourselves in the best possible way with the pictures we’ve seen throughout the week.”

Focusing on what they expect from the French this weekend, Jones said: “They put us under pressure last year with a lot of attacking-style kicks, trying to exploit as much space as they could in behind us, and with a different style and bit of unpredictability that came with that. So we’re expecting a tactical element we may not have seen.

“This contest has traditionally been very close and very enthralling to watch because of the intensity of the collisions and the athletes playing against each other.

“But both teams have also had tactical battles, which we’ve learnt from and I’m sure they’ve learnt from us, so we’re definitely anticipating some tactical nuances we haven’t seen yet, and it could be in the form of some kicking.”

Marx shrugged off talk about him being a marked man after being named the World Rugby and South African Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year for 2025.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve won or achieved, everybody is treated exactly the same

—  Malcolm Marx

“I can’t rely on things I did last year or the year before to get me through now. It still takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and in this group of players and management, everybody’s equal. It doesn’t matter what you’ve won or achieved, everybody is treated exactly the same.

“So it doesn’t add extra pressure, because we’ve got another big challenge ahead this weekend and we cannot rely on previous results to pull us through this week. I still have to work hard and make sure I contribute in the best way I can.

“That said, it’s still a great honour and it’s always a dream every single year to represent my country. It’s a really nice environment to be a part of and it’s still a big part of my life.”

Asked about his decision, announced last week, to sign with the Bulls from Japan’s Kubota Spears, Marx said: “The reason for moving back to South Africa is my family. I’ve been away from home for years now, and coming back was basically to spend more time with them.”