France, who play against Australia next Saturday, are treating this tour as preparation for the 2007 World Cup, and were never likely to mount a serious challenge after making eight changes to the team that played so well in Durban. In fact, the game was over as a contest by half-time, with South Africa 20-6 ahead.
Habana’s first try, in the 12th minute, was the pick of the bunch. Schalk Burger pounced on a loose ball, the livewire Ricky Januarie launched the attack, and Percy Montgomery came into the line and delivered the perfect scoring pass.
Jean de Villiers was next to cross the thin blue line. Defending a two-on-one against Nicolas Brusque and Cedric Heymans, the wing managed to knock the ball from Brusque’s grasp, gather it, skip out of Frederic Michalak’s despairing tackle and run in from 40 metres.
Montgomery kept the French pinned down with some textbook kicking from hand and at goal. The Springbok full-back converted both touchdowns and added two penalties, the second after he was involved in a slapping match with Pascal Pape, the French lock. All France could muster in the first half was a penalty apiece by Dimitri Yachvili and Michalak.
Habana snatched his second try six minutes into the second half, intercepting Yachvili’s poor pass to race in from halfway — outsprinting Heymans, the French flyer, in the process. The game, which was scrappy throughout and ill-tempered at times, petered out after that as Jake White, the South Africa coach, took the opportunity to send on a raft of replacements.
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The France pack did eventually manage to rumble over the home line in the 71st minute. After consulting the video referee, Donal Courtney awarded the try to Michalak. The fly-half converted, but it was too little, too late for the visitors, who were lucky to finish with 15 men when Remy Martin punched John Smit late on.
STAR MAN: Percy Montgomery (SA)
South Africa: P Montgomery; J de Villiers (J Fourie 61min), M Joubert, De Wet Barry, B Habana; J van der Westhuyzen (B Russell 65min), R Januarie (F du Preez 52min); L Sephaka (G STeenkamp 54min), J Smit (capt), CJ van der Linde, A van den Berg, V Matfield, S Burger, J Cronje (J Smith 79min), D Rossouw (J van Niekerk 52min)
France: N Brusque; V Clerc, Y Jauzion, D Traille, C Heymans; F Michalak, D Yachvili (capt); S Marconnet (O Milloud (40min), W Servat (S Bruno 40min), P De Villiers, T Privat, P Pape, R Martin, J Bonnaire, Y Nyanga (O Magne 40min)
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Scorers: South Africa:
Tries: Habana (2), de Villiers
Cons: Montgomery (3)
Pens: Montgomery (2)
Yellow card: Burger 67m
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Scorers France:
Try: Michalak
Con: Michalak
Pens: Yachvili, Michalak
Referee: Donal Courtney (Ireland)