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A number of triumphs send double significance in the lesson they convey. Amid the flurry of weekend Test matches, it was Saturday night's score in the French capital that will echo longest across the rugby world. Not only the end result, but equally the style of achievement. To suggest that South Africa demolished various widely-held assumptions would be an understatement of the season.

Surprising Comeback

Forget about the notion, for instance, that the French team would avenge the unfairness of their World Cup last-eight loss. The belief that entering the final quarter with a small margin and an additional player would lead to inevitable glory. Despite missing their star man their captain, they still had ample strategies to keep the powerful opponents under control.

On the contrary, it was a case of assuming victory prematurely. After being behind on the scoreboard, the South African side with a player sent off ended up scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their reputation as a team who more and more deliver their finest rugby for the most challenging scenarios. If beating New Zealand 43-10 in the last quarter was a declaration, here was definitive evidence that the world’s No 1 side are building an even thicker skin.

Pack Power

Actually, the coach's experienced front eight are beginning to make everyone else look less intense by juxtaposition. Scotland and England experienced their moments over the weekend but lacked entirely the same earthmovers that systematically dismantled the home side to landfill in the last half-hour. Several up-and-coming young home nation players are coming through but, by the final whistle, Saturday night was a mismatch in experience.

Perhaps most impressive was the psychological resilience driving it all. Without their lock forward – issued a 38th-minute straight red for a dangerous contact of the opposition kicker – the Boks could easily have faltered. Instead they just circled the wagons and began dragging the demoralized home team to what a retired hooker described as “extreme physical pressure.”

Guidance and Example

Afterwards, having been hoisted around the venue on the immense frames of the lock pairing to mark his 100th cap, the South African skipper, Siya Kolisi, once again stressed how a significant number of his squad have been obliged to conquer life difficulties and how he hoped his team would in the same way continue to inspire people.

The insightful a commentator also made an shrewd observation on sports media, suggesting that Erasmus’s record progressively make him the parallel figure of the Manchester United great. In the event that the world champions succeed in win a third successive World Cup there will be no doubt whatsoever. Even if they fail to achieve it, the clever way in which Erasmus has revitalized a possibly veteran team has been an exemplary model to other teams.

Emerging Talent

Consider his emerging number 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who darted through for the closing score that properly blew open the French windows. And also the scrum-half, a second half-back with lightning acceleration and an even sharper eye for a gap. Of course it is an advantage to play behind a gargantuan pack, with the powerful center riding shotgun, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the Boks from physically imposing units into a squad who can also display finesse and sting like bees is hugely impressive.

French Flashes

Which is not to say that the French team were completely dominated, in spite of their limp finish. Damian Penaud’s additional score in the far side was a clear example. The power up front that tied in the Bok forwards, the glorious long pass from the playmaker and the try-scorer's execution into the perimeter signage all exhibited the traits of a team with significant talent, without their captain.

But even that turned out to be inadequate, which truly represents a sobering thought for everybody else. It is inconceivable, for instance, that the Scottish side could have gone 17-0 down to the world champions and come galloping back in the way they did against the All Blacks. Notwithstanding the red rose's last-quarter improvement, there remains a distance to travel before the England team can be certain of competing with Erasmus’s green-clad giants with high stakes.

Home Nations' Tests

Beating an Pacific Island team proved tricky enough on the weekend although the forthcoming clash against the New Zealand will be the fixture that properly defines their November Tests. New Zealand are not invincible, especially missing an influential back in their center, but when it comes to taking their chances they remain a step ahead most the European sides.

The Thistles were particularly guilty of failing to hammer home the decisive blows and uncertainties still surround the English side's perfect backline combination. It is acceptable finishing games strongly – and much preferable than fading in the closing stages – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far shown just one success over world-class sides, a close result over the French in February.

Looking Ahead

Therefore the significance of this upround. Reading between the lines it would appear several changes are expected in the team selection, with experienced individuals returning to the side. Among the forwards, likewise, first-choice players should be included from the outset.

But everything is relative, in sport as in reality. In the lead-up to the next global tournament the {rest