World champions South Africa will take on France at the Municipal Stadium TOULOUSE, France on Friday.

 

The Springboks last won on French soil in 1997, handing the home side a record 52-10 defeat in the national team's final game at the iconic Parc des Princes in Paris. There have since been three losses in France while the French have also beaten the Boks twice away, most recently in their last encounter in Cape Town in 2006 (36-26).

 

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made four changes to his starting lineup from his last side in the Tri-Nations, the competition including Australia and New Zealand that the Boks won this year. Zane Kirchner returns at fullback in place of Frans Steyn, JP Pietersen replaces Odwa Ndungane on the wing, while centre Adi Jacobs and No 8 Ryan Kankowski have both been promoted from the bench in the place of Jean de Villiers and Pierre Spies. De Villiers was in bullish mood, saying: "I've had good experiences here with junior teams and also the Boks in 1997, when we last had our opportunity to beat France. "France is one of those teams we respect and I expect them to come out with all guns blazing."

 

Some more information about the two teams.

The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright fourteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed eight grand slams.

 

France is considered to be the strongest rugby nation on continental Europe, and are ranked fifth in the world as of 29 June 2009.[1] Six former French players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, with one of them, Philippe Sella, also having been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame. France also has the best winning record of any northern hemisphere team when playing a test against a Tri-Nations opponent.

 

Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Year's Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match — against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the British Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament (now the Six Nations Championship) in 1910. France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. France came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, and won their first Five Nations title outright in 1959. They won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the knock-out stage of every tournament. They have reached the final twice, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, they were beaten in the semi finals by England.

 

France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. However, they currently wear an all-navy blue Nike kit which was released for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red crest. Their alternative strip is mainly white. French international matches are played at several venues across the country; the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is used for their games during the Six Nations, and they have a formidable home record at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille where they have only lost once, to Argentina in 2004.

 

The South African national rugby union team (Springboks) are the current holders of the Rugby World Cup and the Tri-Nations Championship. They are ranked number one in the IRB World Rankings as of Monday, 14 September 2009. They were named 2008 Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards. As of Saturday, 23rd October 2009, the Springboks are holders of every major trophy available to them: the World Cup, the Tri-Nations, Nelson Mandela Plate, Freedom Cup and British Lions Series Winners.

 

Although South Africa was instrumental in the creation of the Rugby World Cup competition, the Springboks did not compete in the first two World Cups in 1987 and 1991 due to anti-apartheid sporting boycotts of South Africa. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament. The Springboks then defeated the All Blacks 15-12 in the final, which is now remembered as one of the greatest moments in South Africa's sporting history, and a watershed moment in the post-Apartheid nation-building process. South Africa regained their title as champions in 2007, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. As a result of the 2007 World Cup tournament, the Springboks were promoted to first place in the IRB World Rankings.

 

The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys, and their emblems are the Springbok and the Protea. The side have been playing international rugby since 1891, when a British Isles side toured the nation, playing South Africa in their first Test on 30 July. South Africa is currently coached by Peter de Villiers, after Jake White, who led the Boks to the 2007 World Cup title, announced his resignation effective at the end of 2007. The current captain is John Smit, who has played most of his career at hooker, but was moved to tighthead prop for the 2008 end of year tests, where he continues to play today.