With the test series clinched a week ago at Kings Park in Durban, the 55 820 souls who populated the stands here last night were hoping the Springboks would retain their drive and hunger.
Their ruthlessness was under scrutiny and although the French never looked like mounting a serious challenge, the Boks never made it beyond the foothills of their high expectations.
Their performance was at times disjointed but they still ran in four tries while shutting out the Tricolores.
A considerable amount of gloss was lost before kickoff when captain Warren Whiteley was withdrawn due to a groin niggle. He would have captained the side for the first time in front of his adoring home crowd and his absence here was like a tourist arriving in Paris to find the Eiffel Tower taken down. The captain’s armband went to lock Eben Etzebeth, and the occasional agent provocateur took a while to warm to the status of elder statesman.
The Springboks displayed the same verve and vigour that saw them win the opening two tests — the first played at Loftus Versveld in Pretoria — but they were hamstrung by imprecision. Their lineout was some distance away from being reliable and if there is one area hooker Malcolm Marx can sharpen up on it is his feeds to the jumpers. To be fair, the absence of Whiteley deprived the Boks of their go-to man at the tail.
In the build-up, forwards coach Matt Proudfoot espoused the virtues of a solid scrumming platform, but the set-piece by the hour mark had descended into scrimmage. Both teams traded penalties in that area, but it wasn’t the only area in which the Boks fell foul of referee Angus Gardner’s whistle.
Lock Franco Mostert cannot be faulted for effort but his overzealous commitment to the cause meant he found himself the target of Gardner.
Elton Jantjies, in commanding form in the first two tests, proved less assured. We too often, however, expect miracles of the pivot. No 10 Jantjies did not have the benefit of his regular halfback sidekick Ross Cronjé, and though Francois Hougaard wasn’t his best, he didn’t do much wrong.
In midfield, man of the match Jan Serfontein shone again. Centre partner Jesse Kriel had another productive afternoon upon his return to the team. This ground was in danger of becoming malediction for the Springboks in test matches against France.
With four victories and no defeats at this ground, France perhaps had reason to be slightly cock-a-hoop when they emerged from the tunnel.
The tourists, however, had opted to stay on the sun-kissed east coast this week and travelled to the Highveld two days before the match. It showed as they rarely fired a shot in anger. The French were disappointingly poor in this series and the Boks will later face sterner tests.
After finding the road to perdition last year, the Springboks in this series sought to find the one to restoration. They have located it, but as last night proved, some speed bumps remain.
