Former Springbok coach Jake White believes France will be fuelled by raw emotion and revenge when they face the world champions in Paris this weekend – warning that the clash could define the next World Cup cycle.

Writing from the banks of the Zambezi in his latest RugbyPass column, White said the pain of last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to South Africa still burns deeply in French hearts.

“The Stade de France will bring back all the emotions for the home team. I will never forget Antoine Dupont’s thousand-yard stare at the end of that game,” White recalled.

“The dream had died in the most excruciating fashion, with bodies clad in blue strewn over the patchwork green quilt of a pitch, while the Boks, exhausted, raised their hands aloft.”

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White says with Fabien Galthié’s top stars reunited, the French would be desperate to “get the band back together” and prove they can still challenge the Springboks.

“This is the first time they will get the band back together again, deploying the men who thought they could win a home World Cup. They will be fired up in the dressing room saying, ‘not on our watch again’,” he wrote.

“France can get a serious psychological boost by beating the world champions.”

The 2007 World Cup-winning coach added that this Test could be “make or break” for Les Bleus’ long-term plans, particularly with another World Cup cycle on the horizon.

“For France, even more than the Springboks, this is make or break in terms of where they’re going to be in two years,” said White.

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He also suggested that the duel between Rassie Erasmus and Galthié could add an intriguing layer of tactical mind games before kick-off.

“I’ll be interested to see if there are any barbs before the game between Rassie and Fabien,” he noted. “They are the two most experienced coaches in the Autumn Nations Series and they will try and wind each other up.”

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