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Some victories deliver double importance in the message they broadcast. Among the barrage of weekend rugby Tests, it was Saturday night's result in Paris that will resonate most enduringly across the rugby world. Not merely the final score, but equally the manner of success. To claim that South Africa shattered various widely-held assumptions would be an understatement of the rugby year.

Shifting Momentum

Forget about the theory, for example, that the French team would avenge the disappointment of their World Cup last-eight loss. That entering the final quarter with a narrow lead and an additional player would lead to inevitable glory. That even without their star man Antoine Dupont, they still had sufficient strategies to keep the strong rivals under control.

Instead, it was a case of assuming victory before time. Having been trailing by four points, the reduced Springboks concluded with scoring 19 unanswered points, strengthening their status as a squad who consistently save their best for the toughest circumstances. While overpowering New Zealand in Wellington in September was a declaration, here was conclusive proof that the world’s No 1 side are building an more robust mentality.

Pack Power

Actually, Rassie Erasmus’s experienced front eight are starting to make all other teams look less intense by contrast. The Scottish and English sides experienced their promising spells over the weekend but did not have the same powerful carriers that thoroughly overwhelmed the French pack to ruins in the last half-hour. A number of talented young French forwards are developing but, by the end, Saturday night was hommes contre garçons.

Perhaps most impressive was the mental strength driving it all. Without their lock forward – shown a dismissal before halftime for a shoulder to the head of the opposition kicker – the South Africans could easily have lost their composure. As it happened they simply regrouped and proceeded to pulling the deflated boys in blue to what an ex-France player referred to as “a place of suffering.”

Captaincy and Motivation

Following the match, having been borne aloft around the Stade de France on the immense frames of the lock pairing to celebrate his hundredth Test, the team leader, Siya Kolisi, repeatedly emphasized how many of his players have been required to rise above off-field adversity and how he aspired his side would in the same way continue to inspire people.

The perceptive an analyst also made an perceptive point on television, proposing that the coach's achievements increasingly make him the parallel figure of Sir Alex Ferguson. Should the Springboks succeed in win a third successive World Cup there will be absolute certainty. Even if they fail to achieve it, the intelligent way in which the mentor has rejuvenated a potentially ageing squad has been an exemplary model to all.

Emerging Talent

Take for example his 23-year-old fly-half the newcomer who sprinted past for the decisive touchdown that decisively broke the French windows. Additionally the scrum-half, a further playmaker with lightning acceleration and an keener vision for space. Naturally it helps to have the support of a massive forward unit, with André Esterhuizen providing support, but the ongoing metamorphosis of the Springboks from physically imposing units into a team who can also display finesse and deliver telling blows is hugely impressive.

French Flashes

Which is not to say that France were utterly overwhelmed, in spite of their weak ending. Their winger's second try in the wing area was a clear example. The forward dominance that tied in the Bok forwards, the superb distribution from the full-back and the try-scorer's execution into the advertising hoardings all displayed the traits of a team with considerable ability, despite missing Dupont.

Yet that ultimately proved inadequate, which is a daunting prospect for everybody else. It would be impossible, for example, that Scotland could have trailed heavily to the world champions and fought back in the way they did versus New Zealand. Despite England’s late resurgence, there remains a distance to travel before the national side can be confident of facing Erasmus’s green-clad giants with all at stake.

Northern Hemisphere Challenges

Beating an improving Fiji was challenging on the weekend although the forthcoming clash against the All Blacks will be the contest that truly shapes their end-of-year series. New Zealand are definitely still beatable, notably absent Jordie Barrett in their backline, but when it comes to converting pressure into points they remain a step ahead most the European sides.

The Scottish team were notably at fault of missing the chance to secure the killing points and uncertainties still surround the English side's perfect backline combination. It is fine finishing games strongly – and infinitely better than fading in the closing stages – but their notable winning sequence this year has so far featured only one win over top-drawer opposition, a one-point home victory over Les Bleus in the winter.

Next Steps

Thus the significance of this upround. Interpreting the signals it would appear several changes are likely in the matchday squad, with experienced individuals returning to the lineup. Among the forwards, similarly, first-choice players should be included from the beginning.

But everything is relative, in rugby as in existence. From now until the next global tournament the {rest