With captain Guilhem Guirado restored to the starting lineup as one of eight changes, France is close to full strength and expected to present a sterner challenge to South Africa’s fledgling revival in the second test on Saturday.
Hooker Guirado is back to lead France’s hopes of keeping a three-match series alive, earning a recall for the Durban game alongside, crucially, the halfback pairing of Baptiste Serin at scrumhalf and Francois Trinh Duc at flyhalf.
The presence of those three alone gives France a more settled lineup against the Springboks, who may have won the first test but are still playing in the shadow of a woeful 2016, which nearly saw coach Allister Coetzee lose his job after just one season.