Two years after the Springboks shattered the hosts’ dreams at the 2023 World Cup, the pain of that one-point defeat still cuts deep in France.

And it’s fuelling Les Bleus ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster rematch with the world champions.

Former France assistant coach Laurent Labit, who helped mastermind Fabien Galthié’s World Cup campaign, has admitted that the 29-28 quarter-final loss to the Springboks remains the toughest moment of his coaching career.

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In an emotional reflection published this week by Midi Olympique, Labit revisited the 80 minutes that ended France’s golden generation’s bid for glory on home soil.

“I still haven’t completely digested that defeat,” he said. “It was the hardest of my career. The emotion is still there.”

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Labit revealed that he and the French staff had spent countless hours dissecting the build-up, selection debates and tactical calls that went into that fateful night at the Stade de France – a match many in France still call le cauchemar de Saint-Denis (the nightmare of Saint-Denis).

While he avoided criticising referee Ben O’Keeffe, Labit confessed that watching the Springboks wrestle control in the final quarter had left him feeling powerless.

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“At one point, I realised the match was slipping away from us,” he recalled, pausing as emotion overcame him once more.

That heartbreak has lingered across French rugby ever since — and as Les Bleus prepare to face the Boks again in Paris, it’s clear that revenge and redemption will be powerful motivators.

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For the Springboks, who crushed Japan 61-7 at Wembley last week, Saturday’s Test is another chance to reinforce their dominance and remind France that mental steel, not flair, wins the big ones.

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Photo: Franco Arland/Getty Images