'There's no second chances', says Stick as big Bok/France RWC QF looms

PARIS. - Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France at the Stade de France is a last-chance saloon that offers no way out for the losers.

Sunday's game isn't just the first Rugby World Cup game between the teams in 28 years since the sides met in the timeless semi-final at Kings Park, where the Boks won 19-15 in wet, wild, and windy conditions, but an extension of the growing rivalry between the teams.

The Boks remain the last Southern Hemisphere team to beat France at the Stade de France when they downed them in 2018.

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The French avenged this defeat in Marseille last year in a game that was tense, dramatic and thoroughly entertaining. 

Much of the same will be expected in what will be the 46th encounter between the teams since they first met in 1913 in Bordeaux.

Speaking to the media on Saturday, Stick underscored the significance of the match and what stands before them.

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The Boks are accustomed to the hosts versus holder play-offs, but unlike Japan, who were just happy to be there, France has designs of winning the tournament.

To do that, they'll have to beat the Boks.

"It is the play-offs and there is not a second chance. It's a big game playing against the host nation," Stick said.

“They are in a good space as a team. I think this is way bigger than the game against Ireland. We will make sure that we pitch up, we've done all our prep.

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"It is going to be a tough occasion. They are playing at home, but we