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Some victories carry twofold importance in the lesson they communicate. Amid the flurry of weekend international rugby fixtures, it was Saturday night's result in Paris that will linger most enduringly across the globe. Not just the conclusion, but also the approach of victory. To claim that South Africa demolished several established assumptions would be an understatement of the calendar.

Shifting Momentum

Discard the idea, for example, that the French team would make amends for the disappointment of their World Cup quarter-final defeat. The belief that entering the last period with a narrow lead and an numerical superiority would translate into certain victory. Even in the absence of their key player their captain, they still had sufficient strategies to restrain the strong rivals at a distance.

On the contrary, it was a case of celebrating too soon prematurely. Having been behind on the scoreboard, the 14-man Boks ended up scoring 19 unanswered points, reinforcing their status as a team who consistently deliver their finest rugby for the most demanding circumstances. Whereas defeating the All Blacks by a large margin in September was a statement, here was clear demonstration that the world’s No 1 side are building an more robust mentality.

Forward Dominance

If anything, Rassie Erasmus’s experienced front eight are starting to make everyone else look laissez-faire by contrast. Scotland and England each enjoyed their promising spells over the recent fixtures but possessed nothing like the same dominant forwards that thoroughly overwhelmed France to rubble in the closing period. Several up-and-coming young home nation players are developing but, by the final whistle, the encounter was a mismatch in experience.

Even more notable was the mental strength underpinning it all. Without their lock forward – shown a dismissal before halftime for a dangerous contact of the French full-back – the Springboks could easily have become disorganized. Instead they merely united and began dragging the deflated home team to what a retired hooker described as “the hurt locker.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Post-game, having been borne aloft around the venue on the immense frames of two key forwards to celebrate his century of appearances, the Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, repeatedly stressed how a significant number of his players have been obliged to conquer off-field adversity and how he hoped his side would likewise continue to inspire others.

The insightful an analyst also made an shrewd point on broadcast, proposing that Erasmus’s record increasingly make him the rugby's version of Sir Alex Ferguson. In the event that the world champions do go on to secure another global trophy there will be complete assurance. Even if they fall short, the intelligent way in which the coach has revitalized a potentially ageing roster has been an masterclass to everyone.

Emerging Talent

Consider his young playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who skipped over for the late try that decisively broke the French windows. Additionally the scrum-half, a further backline player with lightning acceleration and an keener ability to spot openings. Of course it is an advantage to play behind a gargantuan pack, with the powerful center adding physicality, but the continuing evolution of the South African team from intimidating giants into a team who can also move with agility and deliver telling blows is hugely impressive.

French Flashes

Which is not to say that the home side were utterly overwhelmed, despite their fading performance. Their winger's additional score in the wing area was a good illustration. The power up front that occupied the visiting eight, the superb distribution from Ramos and the try-scorer's execution into the perimeter signage all displayed the traits of a side with significant talent, without their captain.

However, that turned out to be inadequate, which truly represents a daunting prospect for all other nations. It is inconceivable, for example, that the Scottish side could have gone 17-0 down to the Springboks and come galloping back in the way they did versus New Zealand. And for all the English team's last-quarter improvement, there remains a distance to travel before the national side can be certain of competing with Erasmus’s green-clad giants with high stakes.

Home Nations' Tests

Defeating an improving Fiji proved tricky enough on match day although the forthcoming clash against the All Blacks will be the fixture that accurately reflects their autumn. New Zealand are not invincible, particularly without Jordie Barrett in their backline, but when it comes to taking their chances they are still a cut above almost all the northern hemisphere teams.

The Thistles were particularly guilty of missing the chance to secure the killing points and question marks still hang over the red rose's ideal backline blend. It is all very well ending matches well – and infinitely better than losing them late on – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far included just a single victory over top-drawer opposition, a close result over Les Bleus in earlier in the year.

Looking Ahead

Thus the weight of this coming Saturday. Analyzing the situation it would appear several changes are likely in the matchday squad, with experienced individuals being reinstated to the team. Among the forwards, similarly, first-choice players should be included from the beginning.

However context is key, in rugby as in life. Between now and the next global tournament the {rest