Replacements Andre Esterhuizen and Grant Williams as well as starting flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added tries to a first half score by Cobus Reinach to record a ninth win in 10 matches against a stunned home team.

The Boks lost lock Lood de Jager to a permanent red card for a dangerous tackle at the end of the first half, trailing by one point at the time.

Astonishingly, they outscored France 19-3 – despite the numerical disadvantage – in the second half, resisting a home side that for the first quarter of that second period had looked capable of taking the game away from the Boks.

But the grit and resilience that has been bred into this team over the past six years came to the fore in the final quarter just when it appeared that the blue tide might be about to overwhelm the Boks.

Instead, the Boks reasserted forward dominance, cleared the bench and took control.

Lood de Jager receives his marching orders.

Esterhuizen’s power at the back of a maul put the Boks in the lead for the first time in the 64^th minute, edging ahead after France had opened a four-point lead with a Thomas Ramos penalty goal – ultimately their only points of the half.

A second maul was halted on the opposite touch – the right – but when the ball emerged, the jet-heeled Williams sliced through to the poles on the angle to open up an eight-point lead with nine minutes to go.

And Feinberg-Mngomezulu hammered the final nail into France’s coffin with three minutes to go. He had moved to fullback – with Manie Libbok coming on at No 10 – and took a pass from the new flyhalf to go on an angling run from the 22 outside his defender to curve round close to the posts.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted to finish with five from eight shots at goal and 17 points as well as the sponsor’s man of the match award.

The 15-pont margin of victory had looked unlikely as a fired up French team took first blood in the fourth minute to send a feverish crowd into raptures in a reprise of the early score by the home side in that quarter-final.

Grant Williams scores under the uprights.

It was made by fullback Ramos who started moving left and then switched back to the right behind an attacking ruck just outside the Bok 22. He identified space behind the advancing Kurt-Lee Arendse and put in a perfect kick into the vacant space for Damian Penaud (wing) to collect and run in untouched.

It was a solitary moment in attack for France in the opening quarter as the Boks clawed their way back on the scoreboard through two penalty goals from Feinberg-Mngomezulu – the first of them from 50 metres on the angle.

He was narrowly wide to left and then right with two more attempts from the same distance before Penaud’s second try in the 27^th minute reopened the gap as a succession of penalties gave France a lineout five metres short on the left.

The Boks collapsed the resulting maul and on penalty advantage, France swung the ball to the right where Ramos’s long pass off his left hand found Penaud who slid over in the corner before the cover could reach him.

Ramos’s conversion was good via an upright, but he could do nothing as the last line of defence to prevent the Springboks’ first try eight minutes before halftime.

Andre Esterhuizen emerges from a pile of bodies after his maul try.

There appeared to be little immediate danger as Reinach funnelled back behind a retreating Bok ruck on halfway. But the 35-year-old spotted a half gap to the left and brushed through one tackle before sprinting away, chipping Ramos and then collecting on the line to score.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted from the touchline to close the gap to one point (14-13) but Ramos’s role in the drama of the half was not complete. With two minutes remaining in the half the fullback was tackled around the ankles by Reinach and as he sank to the ground, De Jager came in low but his leading shoulder made direct contact with Ramos’s head.

Referee Angus Gardner was alerted to the contact by the TMO and after some deliberation issued a protesting De Jager with a permanent red card in the last major act of the half.

Replacement lock Ruan Nortje replaced Kolisi at the interval to fill the hole left by De Jager as France scented more blood. It was not to be as Kolisi’s 68^th match as captain was also one of the most memorable.

Scorers:

France 17 (14) – Tries: Damian Penaud (2). Conversions: Thomas Ramos (2). Penalty goal: Ramos.

Springboks 32 (13) – Tries: Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen, Grant Williams, Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Penalty goals: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2).