Springboks keep 21 of their Turin 23 for Friday's test against France in Paris
Four wins from four and 20 points in the Nations Championship: Rassie Erasmus is now going for the title, with a final at Twickenham in two weeks.
Cape Town — Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has kept 21 of the 23 players who beat Italy 66-7 in Turin for Friday night's Nations Championship test against France at the Stade de France in Paris.
Scrumhalf Cobus Reinach comes onto the bench in place of Grant Williams, and Wilco Louw moves into the starting line-up, Daily Maverick reported. Thomas du Toit is among the replacements, and Erasmus has again chosen a six-two split of forwards and backs on the bench. The match-day 23 has a combined 1,165 caps.
Chasing the title
Earlier this year Erasmus said the four-test series against the All Blacks was the priority. With that won 3-1, he appears to have moved the inaugural Nations Championship up his list. The Boks have four wins from four, the maximum 20 log points and a points difference of +140. New Zealand, in the same group, are also unbeaten, at +73.
Erasmus is targeting a four-try bonus point win, knowing that anything less than 10 points from the games against France and Ireland might not be enough to reach the final at Twickenham in a little over two weeks.
Ten in eleven
South Africa are aiming for their 10th win in 11 games against France, including last year's 32-17 win at the Stade de France with 14 men. "Overall, trying to win all the games we're playing and then trying to win the Greatest Rivalry is vital. But we certainly won't sacrifice being ready for 2027," Erasmus said in January.
Source: Daily Maverick, November 2026.
