On 15 October 2023, the rugby world was treated to the greatest game in decades after the same tag was assigned to the match that occurred just 24 hours before.

The atrocity of a far too early Rugby World Cup draw, based on outdated rankings, meant that only two of the best four teams at the tournament would progress past the quarter-finals.

Only two of Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and hosts France would have their hopes of hoisting the William Webb Ellis Cup carry on past the pool stages.

It was the Irish who were the first to taste the bitterness of defeat as All Blacks legend Sam Whitelock pilfered over to claim a match-sealing penalty for New Zealand and, in doing so, handed arguably the greatest Ireland team ever assembled a quarter-final exit.

It was a glorious fixture. One heralded as the best international in at least a decade, perhaps since the 2009 epic between the British and Irish Lions and Springboks. There was serious needle and history as Ireland attempted to shake off their World Cup ‘chokers’ tag and progress to the semi-finals for the time, while a battered All Blacks outfit, who were hammered by the Boks before the tournament and lost their opener to France, attempted to prove the world that they are still the standard bearers.

Throw in the pressure that New Zealand’s head coach Ian Foster was under two years prior, after Ireland sealed their first-ever series victory over the All Blacks on Aotearoa soil and backing that up a week later as well as the verbals that accompanied those matches.

When Wayne Barnes blasted the whistle for the final time at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on October 14 to make the 28-24 All Blacks victory official, many onlookers believed that they had just seen a game for the ages and one that would not be replicated for aeons.

France v Springboks epic

But boy were they wrong as just 24 hours later, the defending champions South Africa went toe-to-toe with the hosts France in a match that would usurp the notion that Ireland v All Blacks was the best game in at least a decade.

Another knockout match that was just too close to call. Two proud, passionate rugby nations on top of their game, battling it out to continue their pursuit of glory with the knowledge that only one could do so.

France were favourites with the bookies. A generational team at the peak of their powers, welcoming the return of their injured hero and inspirational leader, Antoine Dupont. Boks slight underdogs, a position they relish, colliding at the Stade de France – a rugby cathedral worthy of such an epic encounter.

Paris erupted as Cyril Baille charged over the line from close range, rounding off a majestic try that married sheer brutality with stunning hands – a trademark of Fabien Galthie’s charges by now. The ever-accurate Thomas Ramos dissecting the posts from the touchline to open up a 7-point lead. That was almost extended moments later if it weren’t for the intervention of Eben Etzebeth…

While Maradona’s Hand of God was blatant and clearly missed by the officials, Etzebeth’s intervention is still debated two years on. The Bok lock shot up metres out from his own try line, stretched his arm out and depending on which side of the fence you sit, slapped Damian Penaud’s pass backwards or forwards. Referee Ben O’Keeffe delivered the first match-defining call, stating that it was backwards, a massive momentum swing as the Boks were reeling.

South Africa needed a response and got one as Etzebeth forced the error from Les Bleus’ catchers from a box kick by Cobus Reinach, allowing the ball to spill loose, and Kurt-Lee Arendse sped away to hammer home the Boks’ reply. Manie Libbok levelled matters and inspired the score that put South Africa ahead, with Damian de Allende latching onto the loose ball after Cameron Woki’s spill, dummied Dupont before rounding off the score himself a phase later.

The opening 20 minutes were played at a breakneck speed with both sides throwing absolutely everything they had at one another, and there was no sign of it slowing down as Dupont took a tap penalty quickly and threw a pinpoint pass out to Peato Mauvaka, who scored France’s second, meaning the scoreboard read: France 12-12 South Africa with the conversion to come.

Controversial charge down

It was clearly a match that was going to be won and lost on the finest of margins, the closest of calls and a bit of luck. The Boks engineered some of their own luck ‘chasing lost causes’, illustrated by Cheslin Kolbe’s insane chargedown of Ramos’ conversion attempt of Mauvaka’s try. Again, a call that is still debated today, whether the Bok flyer went early or not.

Law discussion: Was Cheslin Kolbe’s charge down in the World Cup legal?

Another small win that ultimately made all the difference. Kolbe was in the thick of it again as the Boks capitalised on a turnover as Etzebeth smashed the ball out of Dupont’s hands with De Allende scooping it up before it was flung out to Jesse Kriel who spotted the space in the backfield and put in a deft grubber for the speedster to latch on to, which he did and scored South Africa’s third try.

The madness continued with South Africa debuting a new tactic with Damian Willemse calling a mark in his own 22 after a long kick by France and opting for a scrum. The ploy was to get the French pack to do a bit more work, the Springboks later revealed. A bold, bold move that would ultimately paid dividends, but something that World Rugby quickly outlawed.

The game’s governing body would close the loophole known as ‘Dupont Law’ to force players to retreat during kicking battles, but that was accompanied by the removal of the scrum option from a free-kick.

In the 30th minute, Baille grabbed his second for Les Bleus as the teams continued to trade blow-for-blow. After arguably escaping punishment for his intervention on his tryline, Etzebeth would visit the sin bin for a head-on-head collision before the half-time break, with Ramos opening a three-point lead for Les Bleus. The marksman extended that lead in the 53rd minute, and after a first half, the second was much more of an arm-wrestle, though it was played at the same frenetic pace.

Analysis: Eben Etzebeth’s masterclass as Springboks stun France in Rugby World Cup classic

Trailing by six in the final 20 minutes, it was Etzebeth who rose to the occasion again for the Boks as he powered through two tackles and over the line to score the all-important try, setting up a nail-biting finish.

Handre Pollard nailed the conversion and a penalty, controversially won by Kwagga Smith, to make it a four-point lead, but France would cut that to just one with less than 10 minutes to be played. Ramos dissected the posts. With time up on the clock, France went in search of the winning score but were robbed of that opportunity as Faf de Klerk ripped the ball out of Reda Wardi’s grasp.

O’Keeffe blasted the whistle for the final time as Kolbe sent the ball flying into the stands and, in doing so, crushed the hopes that France would finally end their wait for a maiden World Cup title and do so on home soil, but also kept South Africa’s dream of becoming the second nation to win back-to-back World Cups alive.

Damian de Allende: ‘People forget what France did to host the World Cup’

As Nkalakatha blasted through the stadium’s speakers, Les Bleus players flung to the floor in despair, some in tears, while the South Africans raised their fists to the sky.

Backlash

The air of disappointment and delight was palpable in the post-match as well, with Dupont pointing to the officials as part of the reason for his team’s defeat.

“What did you think from the outside? It’s hard to say because there’s a lot of disappointment and frustration. We want to see the images again – which will give us even more disappointment and even more frustration – but I think some clear and obvious things weren’t whistled,” he said.

“I don’t know if the match was lost at that point, but at crucial moments, we could have had a penalty. When you’ve gone forward 60 metres and you’re slowed down in the rucks, it’s pretty easy to whistle. I don’t want to sound bitter, moaning about the refereeing because we lost the match, but I’m not sure the refereeing was up to the challenge.

“That doesn’t take anything away from the South Africans’ great game, who got on top of us at the breakdown. They played a great game.”

World Rugby match officials boss hits out at Antoine Dupont for post-World Cup remarks

Coach Galthie added, “He’s [referee Ben O’Keeffe] not on his own. The TMO and the referees have time to review the images like us and have the right to officiate. I ask my players to be brave at times like this because I understand their frustration. But I won’t comment on it personally.

“I’d rather congratulate them [the players]. We’ve worked hard with them, and we’ll continue to work with them. I understand the players’ position, because there are a lot of emotions that are not easy to digest.

“But above all, congratulations to South Africa and their staff. Respect and fair play – may they continue on their way for as long as possible.”

Asked about his thoughts on the match officials’ performance, Bok captain Siya Kolisi said: “From our side, all we can do is play rugby. We can’t control the decisions the ref makes. We will have to look at the game, but the communications with him and the calls he made were fair. I would never discredit the referee. Obviously, Antoine has his own opinion.

“It was an amazing game, it was tough, physically it flowed. The way the two teams played outshines everything else. It was an amazing atmosphere. The French team have been building for four years, so we knew it would take something special for us to win this game.

“For a leader like Antoine to come back and play like he did, we give credit to him and France and all the French people who made this World Cup so special. When we heard the anthems, we knew how loud it was going to be. The people of France can be proud of their team.

“It was a one-point game. Things like the charge-down from Cheslin [Kolbe], you don’t see that every day.  It was going to take something special for us to win. The French team and Antoine can hold their heads up high.”

The French public’s disappointment was also stark as they lashed out at Bok scrum-half Reinach, who plied his trade at Top 14 club Montpellier at the time, as his family received death threats in the aftermath, with the same being true for referee O’Keeffe.

While that blighted the entertainment that was produced, it’s worth remembering one of the greatest Rugby World Cup encounters of all-time on the two-year anniversary of the fixture, particularly with the two proud nations preparing to face off again at the same venue this November.

A grudge match that we can only hope delivers half the drama and entertainment as two years ago.

READ MORE: Damian de Allende: ‘People forget what France did to host the World Cup’