Rugby Players' Guide to France 2023: Why the Boks' pragmatism will win them French fans

It's an art that the Springboks have arguably perfectly over the past 28 years, but they needn't worry about losing French supporters if they manage to defend their World Cup title in an ugly manner.

South Africa's three World Cup triumphs have hardly been based on aesthetics and rather founded on relentless pragmatism and determination.

After all, it took them until 2019 to score a first try in a final and even then the Boks had worn down Eddie Jones' England before striking.  

Given the perception of romanticism underpinning much of French life, one would believe that Jacques Nienaber's charges won't endear themselves to local fans at this year's showpiece if they play risk-free, "ugly" rugby.

That couldn't be farther from the truth.

In fact, Anton van Zyl, the former Western Province and Stade Francais stalwart lock, argues French rugby fans might actually be more culturally sympathetic to the Springbok cause than South Africans.

In a revealing chat with Dan Nichol for Rugby Players’ Guide to France, an exciting new series produced by BrightRock to gives SA rugby fans a slice of the French way of rugby and life ahead of the World Cup, the towering second rower recalls how he was immediately struck by French fans' relish for a tight result.

"There's a stark contrast between a South African rugby supporter and a French one, and I think the best way to describe it is something that struck me quite early on," says Van Zyl. 

"I would say South African rugby supporters are quite discerning. They want their team to play a specific style that matches their identity. They want to see bonus points. They want to see four tries and would like a 43-0 win against one of the New Zealand Super Rugby teams."

This past weekend's thrilling 43-12