Tendai Mtawarira has sounded the alarm about the strength in depth of France, and sets the stage for a playoff “spectacle” between the Springboks and the World Cup hosts.
The outcomes of the respective pool clashes for South Africa and France at the tournament, which kicks off in September, could put Les Bleus into a quarter-final against the world champions.
France, one of the World Cup favourites, led by 18 points at half time in a narrow defeat against Scotland on Saturday, despite missing several first-choice players including captain and scrumhalf Antoine Dupont and flyhalf Romain Ntamack as coach Fabien Galthie looked to test his squad options.
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Mtawarira, who retired from international rugby in 2019 with 117 Tests for the Boks following a successful World Cup campaign, on social media highlights the dominance of a second-string Les Bleus side in the Murrayfield clash.
The former loosehead prop reckons a French lineup on home soil will be tough to beat and pose a “scary” challenge to the Boks, who rebounded from a poor first half to claim an eighth straight victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires last weekend.
What’s scary is.. that was probably the C side for France yet they dominated Scotland and lost at the death. France will be hard to be beat on home soil come September/October. They have depth like we have, so the scene is set for a spectacle 🤩👌🏼.
— Tendai Mtawarira (@Beast_TM) August 5, 2023
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