Spell Broken in Paris: Dupont's France Hold Off the World Champion Springboks, 21-19, for France's First Win Over South Africa in Paris in 21 Years

Some wins are about the scoreboard. Others are about breaking a spell. France did both on Friday night in Paris, holding off the world champion Springboks 21-19 in a Nations Championship thriller and ending a 21-year wait for a win over South Africa at its national stadium.

The result handed South Africa its first defeat in the new competition and snapped France's run of five straight losses to the Springboks on that ground.

France came out flying. Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored the first try in the 15th minute, Theo Attissogbe added another in the 24th and Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossed in the 32nd, with Maxime Lucu converting all three, Sky Sports reported. Jan-Hendrik Wessels answered for South Africa in the 30th minute, and France went to the break ahead 21-7.

It did not stay comfortable. Lucu was shown a yellow card for a high tackle just before the interval, one of three yellow cards France were given on the night, according to RugbyPass, while South Africa received one yellow card and one 20-minute red card.

Down two scores, the world champions did what world champions do. Cobus Reinach scored in the 51st minute, and Malcolm Marx powered over in the 72nd to make it a two-point game with time running out. France did not add a point after halftime, and Lucu missed a later penalty that could have stretched the lead.

The closing minutes were frantic. RugbyPass reported that a late defensive turnover by Bielle-Biarrey helped France close it out, with captain Antoine Dupont gathering possession to seal the win.

Dupont, who started at scrum-half rather than at fly-half as had been announced, according to the report carried by AOL, admitted afterward that the yellow cards made it a brutally hard night but said his team kept its intensity for the whole game, RugbyPass reported. Sky Sports noted that France also had to put a string of injuries behind them to get it done.

Sky Sports reported that the win ensured France top spot in the northern hemisphere table. It also shook up the race for the final at Twickenham: New Zealand's Stuff reported the French victory means the All Blacks now control their own destiny in their bid to get there.

For South Africa, the loss is a rare stumble for a team that has spent the last several years setting the standard in the sport. The Springboks came within a score of stealing a game they trailed by 14 at halftime, and nobody who watched that second half will be writing them off.

There is a lesson in this one that goes beyond rugby. France built a 21-7 lead with speed, skill and nerve, and then nearly handed it back through a lack of discipline. Three yellow cards is a heavy price against any opponent, let alone the reigning world champions, and it turned a rout into a nail-biter.

The Book of Proverbs compares a man without self-control to a city whose walls have been broken down. That is about as good a description of a rugby side playing a man short against the Springboks as you will find. France's walls bent on Friday night, but they did not fall, and much of the credit belongs to a captain who kept his teammates calm when the pressure was at its worst.

Leadership like Dupont's does not always show up in the box score. Sometimes it looks like a scrum-half asking his team to hold on for one more phase, then one more after that, until the final whistle finally comes.

For France, it was a night to celebrate. For the Springboks, it was a reminder that even champions have to earn every win. And for everyone else, it was the kind of game that makes you want to watch the next one.