South Africa suffered a heartbreaking 21-19 defeat to France in Paris, despite a stunning second-half fightback inspired by their Bomb Squad.
Rassie Erasmus's side trailed 21-7 at half-time after a miserable opening 40 minutes.
Things got worse when Jasper Wiese received a red card for a dangerous clear-out.
But the Springboks refused to surrender.
Their replacement front row tore into the French scrum, while tries from Cobus Reinach and Malcolm Marx gave South Africa renewed hope.
Manie Libbok then missed a conversion that would have levelled the scores.
Here are our Springboks player ratings from a bruising night at the Stade de France.
Springboks player ratings vs France
1. Gerhard Steenekamp – 5/10
Helped South Africa win an early scrum penalty, but his evening ended after just 35 minutes.
The Springboks' scrum became a different beast following the introduction of Ox Nche.
2. Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 7/10
One of South Africa's better performers during a difficult first half.
Powered over from a driving maul for the Springboks' opening try.
Made his presence felt up front before Malcolm Marx took over.
3. Thomas du Toit – 6/10
Won two turnovers and contributed to South Africa's early scrum success.
A respectable performance, although Wilco Louw's introduction took the scrum dominance to another level.
4. Lood de Jager – 3/10
A night to forget.
His early yellow card piled pressure on South Africa and helped France build momentum.
Made two dominant tackles, but his disciplinary lapse overshadowed the positives.
5. Ruan Nortje – 2/10
One of South Africa's biggest disappointments.
Missed five tackles and lost possession three times.
Those are worrying numbers for an international lock.
A performance he will want to forget quickly.
6. Siya Kolisi – 4/10
The Springboks captain struggled to impose himself.
Missed three tackles and couldn't stop France taking control during the opening half.
South Africa needed their inspirational skipper to lead from the front. He never quite managed it.
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 7/10
One of South Africa's better performers. Made 16 carries and produced a crucial lineout steal near his own try line. Was held up over the French line during the second half, but never stopped fighting.
8. Jasper Wiese – 1/10
An absolute disaster.
His dangerous clear-out resulted in a red card and left South Africa facing an enormous challenge.
The Springboks eventually returned to 15 players under the 20-minute red-card law, but Wiese's evening was already over.
A reckless moment that threatened to derail the entire match.
9. Morné van den Berg – 6/10
Worked hard behind a pack that struggled during the opening half.
Won two turnovers and kept things moving, but South Africa's attack lacked urgency.
His replacement, Cobus Reinach, brought fresh energy.
10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 4/10
Produced a sensational first-half break that put France under pressure. Showed flashes of brilliance without taking control of the contest. Replaced by Manie Libbok during the second half, before returning late on.
Editorial verdict
11. Ethan Hooker – 8/10
One of the few Springbok backs who consistently threatened France.
Made two line breaks and registered two dominant tackles.
His physicality and willingness to attack stood out in an otherwise disappointing backline.
An excellent individual effort despite the defeat.
12. Damian de Allende – 7/10
Put in an enormous shift.
Finished with 15 carries and 15 completed tackles, underlining his work rate on both sides of the ball.
Missed three tackles, but remained one of South Africa's busiest performers.
13. Jesse Kriel – 3/10
A deeply disappointing evening.
Missed three tackles, lost possession twice and offered little attacking threat.
South Africa needed their experienced centre to step up.
Instead, he was largely anonymous.
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 4/10
Had a first-half try ruled out after being caught offside at a lineout.
Also conceded a needless penalty for preventing France from taking a quick throw.
Missed two tackles and struggled to make his usual impact.
15. Damian Willemse – 4/10
Carried 14 times, but quantity didn't translate into quality.
Lost possession three times and rarely threatened to unlock the French defence.
South Africa needed more from their full-back.
Springboks replacements
16. Malcolm Marx – 9/10
What an impact.
Introduced after 35 minutes, Marx helped transform South Africa's scrum.
Then powered over from a driving maul to bring the Springboks within two points.
One breakdown penalty aside, he was outstanding.
17. Ox Nche – 9/10
France simply couldn't handle him.
The Springboks won repeated scrum penalties following his introduction.
His destructive scrummaging helped turn the match on its head.
A magnificent impact from the bench.
18. Wilco Louw – 9/10
An absolute monster.
Alongside Nche and Marx, Louw turned the French scrum into a penalty machine.
The hosts struggled to cope with South Africa's power.
One of the defining performances of the match.
19. Franco Mostert – 6/10
Added experience and physicality as South Africa fought their way back.
A steady contribution without the headline moments produced by his fellow replacements.
20. Cameron Hanekom – 5/10
Entered after Wiese's 20-minute red-card period ended.
Had limited time to make a meaningful individual impact, although South Africa's forwards continued to dominate.
21. Paul de Villiers – Not rated
Appearance and playing time still require confirmation against the official match record.
22. Cobus Reinach – 8/10
Talk about making an entrance.
The former Northampton scrum-half scored shortly after coming on, giving South Africa renewed hope.
His urgency injected life into a struggling attack.
An excellent contribution from the bench.
23. Manie Libbok – 2/10
The moment that could haunt him.
Libbok replaced Feinberg-Mngomezulu with South Africa chasing the game.
He then had the chance to level the scores following Marx's late try.
But his conversion drifted wide.
France held on for a 21-19 victory, leaving the replacement fly-half with a painful moment to reflect on.
Erasmus's controversial gamble almost pays off
Rassie Erasmus raised eyebrows before kick-off by switching his entire starting front row.
Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Thomas du Toit were promoted to the starting XV.
Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw dropped to the bench.
The decision gave South Africa an extraordinary amount of scrummaging power to unleash later in the match.
And it nearly worked.
The replacement front row dominated France at scrum time and helped turn a seemingly hopeless contest into a two-point thriller.
Erasmus had rolled the dice. His Bomb Squad almost delivered the jackpot.
But the Springboks ultimately fell just short.
Rate the Springboks players yourself
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