France wrapped up the group stage with a 60-7 drubbing of Italy on Friday to move into the knockout round as Pool A winners – but the next test on their World Cup journey will be as hard as they come.
Les Bleus now have a week to prepare for their meeting with the Springboks, which the French coach Fabien Galthié described as a “World Cup final”.
South Africa came second in Group B behind Ireland, who will face New Zealand in another epic quarter-final next week after defeating Scotland 36-14 on Saturday.
France and the Springboks last met in Marseille last November, with the French battling to a narrow 30-26 win. Astonishingly, this will be their first World Cup clash since 1995, when South Africa prevailed in a hard-fought semi-final on home soil (19-15).