The Boks Need a French Victory and a Welsh Miracle

With only two rounds to go in the Nations Championship, the race for a spot in the final at Twickenham is getting tighter than a front-row jersey after braai day. Who would have thought we would essentially be battling against the All Blacks for a final, whilst not actually getting the chance to do the talking against one another on the field.

The Boks and All Blacks are sitting level on log points, with only a 67-point difference giving the Boks the upper hand. Whilst we'd all love another crack at them in a final in London, that's not how this competition works. Only the top side from the southern hemisphere will advance to face the best of the north at Twickenham. In other words, it's us or the Kiwis, but unfortunately not both.

Now, this is where things get tricky for Rassie and the boys. The Boks have to head into Parys, the French capital this weekend and somehow come away with a bonus-point victory against a French side that is notoriously difficult to beat in its own backyard. To secure the bonus point they will need to score four or more tries. Not exactly an easy day's work, especially when you consider that the All Blacks are heading to Cardiff to face a Welsh side that has been handing out points like flyers at a robot.

The Boks might have a 67-point head start on points difference, but that cushion could disappear rather quickly if the Kiwis decide to put the Welsh to the sword. While we'll be hoping for a big Bok performance in Parys, we might also find ourselves doing something rather unnatural on Saturday, cheering every Welsh tackle, turnover and penalty.

The following weekend doesn't offer much relief either. The Boks head to Dublin to face an Irish side that will be desperate to make a statement against us, especially after we helped their scrum find additional reverse gears last November. The All Blacks, on the other hand, will face England at Twickenham.

Judging by the way the English celebrated their demolition of a struggling Wallabies outfit last weekend, you'd swear they'd already booked the open-top bus parade for the 2027 World Cup. But there's a rather big difference between beating an Australian side struggling to find its feet and keeping this All Blacks outfit subdued for 80 minutes. I wouldn't be putting too much money on the English doing us any favors.

That's what makes this weekend so important. The Boks aren't just playing France. They're effectively racing the All Blacks on the scoreboard, with every bonus point and every point of difference potentially deciding who gets to play for the trophy on finals weekend when most of us know it should be our two sides in the final.