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Cape Town - Sixteen stats and facts ahead of the Springboks' end of year tour Test against France in Paris.
Test caps
• The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 444. There are 191 caps in the backline with 253 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 149 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 27, the forwards are 32 while the players on the bench average 19. The average age of the starting XV is 26.
Approaching milestones
• Handré Pollard needs one point to reach 300 career points in Test rugby. Should he score 14 points or more in this Test, he will surpass Naas Botha’s career record of 312 points and will move up to fourth position on the all-time point scoring list for South Africa.
The stadium
• The Springboks’ first Test at the Stade de France was the Rugby World Cup quarter-final against England on October 24, 1999, which South Africa won by 44-21 in front of approximately 77 000 fans.
• Jannie de Beer scored 34 points through two conversions, five penalty goals and a world record of five drop goals.
• The Springboks played their first Test match against France at the Stade de France two years later, on November 10, 2001. South Africa lost 20-10 in front of 70 000 spectators.
• To date, South Africa have played eight Tests at the Stade de France. The record is: P: 8; W: 6; L: 2; PF: 199; PA: 113; TF: 15; TA: 8; Average score: 25-14; Win%: 75%.
• Of the above-mentioned eight Tests, four were against France. The record: P: 4; W: 2; L: 2; PF: 67; PA: 73; TF: 6; TA: 7.
• The Springboks’ top scorers at the Stade de France are Percy Montgomery (54 points, 9 conversions and 12 penalty goals), JP Pietersen (three tries) and Jannie de Beer (5 drop goals).
• The match records are held by Jannie de Beer (34 points, 5 penalty goals and 5 drop goals), JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana (2 tries each).
Overall record against France
• South Africa’s overall record against France is: P: 43; W: 26; L: 11; D: 6; PF: 910; PA: 636; TF: 103; TA: 57; Average score: 21-15. Win%: 60%.
• South Africa’s biggest win against France (42 points) was in 1997 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, when the Springboks ran in seven tries with the final score 52-10. On that day, Pieter Rossouw scored four tries, only the second Springbok to score four tries in a Test match at the time.
• The Springboks’ biggest loss against France was on November 9, 2002 in Marseilles when South Africa lost by 30-10.
Match officials
• The referee is Nigel Owens of Wales, the most experienced referee in the world, carrying the whistle in 85 Tests.
• To date, Nigel Owens has refereed 17 Tests involving the Springboks, of which South Africa won 10 and lost seven for a 59% win rate.
• The assistant referees are Matthew Carley and Tom Foley, and Rowan Kitt is the TMO. All three are from England.
