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Certain wins carry dual significance in the statement they communicate. Amid the flood of weekend Test matches, it was Saturday night's outcome in Paris that will echo most profoundly across the globe. Not only the conclusion, but also the manner of achievement. To say that the Springboks shattered a number of comfortable beliefs would be an understatement of the season.

Shifting Momentum

Discard the idea, for example, that the French team would make amends for the unfairness of their World Cup quarter-final defeat. Assuming that going into the last period with a narrow lead and an additional player would result in assumed success. Despite missing their key player Antoine Dupont, they still had sufficient strategies to restrain the big beasts under control.

On the contrary, it was a case of counting their poulets before time. After being trailing by four points, the South African side with a player sent off finished by scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their standing as a team who increasingly save their best for the most demanding scenarios. While beating New Zealand 43-10 in the last quarter was a statement, here was definitive evidence that the world’s No 1 side are developing an even thicker skin.

Set-Piece Superiority

Actually, the coach's title-winning pack are beginning to make all other teams look less committed by juxtaposition. The Scottish and English sides experienced their periods of promise over the two-day period but did not have the same powerful carriers that thoroughly overwhelmed the home side to landfill in the closing period. Several up-and-coming young France's pack members are developing but, by the end, Saturday night was men against boys.

Perhaps most impressive was the inner fortitude underpinning it all. In the absence of Lood de Jager – shown a red card in the first half for a high tackle of Thomas Ramos – the Boks could easily have faltered. Instead they simply united and began pulling the disheartened home team to what a retired hooker called “extreme physical pressure.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Afterwards, having been hoisted around the Stade de France on the powerful backs of the lock pairing to mark his 100th cap, the Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, repeatedly emphasized how many of his squad have been needed to conquer life difficulties and how he wished his side would in the same way continue to inspire fans.

The perceptive David Flatman also made an astute point on television, proposing that Erasmus’s record increasingly make him the parallel figure of the legendary football manager. Should the Springboks do go on to secure another global trophy there will be complete assurance. In case they come up short, the smart way in which the mentor has refreshed a experienced team has been an masterclass to other teams.

Emerging Talent

Consider his 23-year-old fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who darted through for the decisive touchdown that properly blew open the French windows. Additionally another half-back, a further backline player with explosive speed and an more acute eye for a gap. Naturally it is beneficial to operate behind a gargantuan pack, with the powerful center providing support, but the steady transformation of the Springboks from physically imposing units into a squad who can also move with agility and deliver telling blows is hugely impressive.

French Flashes

Which is not to say that France were completely dominated, in spite of their weak ending. Their winger's later touchdown in the wing area was a good illustration. The set-piece strength that occupied the visiting eight, the superb distribution from the full-back and the try-scorer's execution into the sideline boards all displayed the traits of a squad with significant talent, despite missing Dupont.

Yet that turned out to be insufficient, which is a sobering thought for all other nations. It is inconceivable, for instance, that the visitors could have fallen behind by 17 points to the Springboks and fought back in the way they did in their fixture. And for all the red rose's late resurgence, there is a distance to travel before Steve Borthwick’s squad can be certain of competing with the world's top team with everything on the line.

Home Nations' Tests

Defeating an improving Fiji was challenging on the weekend although the next encounter against the All Blacks will be the match that truly shapes their autumn. The visitors are definitely still beatable, particularly without their key midfielder in their midfield, but when it comes to taking their chances they continue to be a level above almost all the European sides.

The Thistles were particularly guilty of not finishing off the final nails and question marks still hang over the English side's ideal backline blend. It is acceptable performing in the final quarter – and much preferable than fading in the closing stages – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far featured only one win over world-class sides, a close result over the French in the winter.

Future Prospects

Thus the significance of this upround. Analyzing the situation it would seem various alterations are expected in the matchday squad, with key players returning to the lineup. Up front, in the same way, regular starters should all be back from the beginning.

However context is key, in competition as in life. In the lead-up to the upcoming world championship the {rest