Springboks v France in Paris: Five SA players out to impress

The Springboks and France go head-to-head in a vitally important Nations Championship encounter at the Stade de France on Friday night (kick-off 10:10pm), with both currently topping their respective pools.

But both have teams on their tail and a loss on Friday could see other teams jump ahead of them on Saturday, with the All Blacks, Ireland and England all eager to take advantage of any slip up.

The Boks will thus be looking for a big showing from their players to get the win they need to stay on top in the south section.

Here are five Bok players who will be especially eager to put in a huge effort for various reasons.

Siya Kolisi

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi likely has some unfinished business with France, after he was unfortunately the chosen sacrifice for the Boks during their impressive 32-17 win on last year’s end-of-year-tour.

After Lood de Jager received a permanent red card shortly before halftime in that match, Kolisi unfortunately didn’t come out in the second half, with Ruan Nortjé brought on in the second row.

The worst part was that it was the 35-year-old Kolisi’s 100^th Springbok appearance, and he just proved what a selfless and inspirational leader he is by making the sacrifice and staying on the side of the field roaring his team on to a famous win.

He will now be eager to play a bigger role on the playing pitch on Friday night and try lead his team to what would be another big win against the French, especially in terms of the Nations Championship.

Cobus Reinach

Veteran scrumhalf Cobus Reinach arguably enjoyed his best international campaign for the Springboks in 2025, when he essentially became the Boks’ first choice No 9. Previously Reinach has had to play second fiddle to Faf de Klerk, as well as Grant Williams, who has risen to become a first choice contender.

Last year in 11 internationals Reinach started six of them, with most of them important matches, and came off the bench five times.

This year the 36-year-old has made four starts and three bench showings, and seemed to be the preferred choice for the Boks after starting twice during Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, but since the fourth Test in Baltimore, it seems Morné van den Berg has risen to now be the team’s top pick with some sparkling performances.

Reinach will thus be eager to make a big impact off the bench against France to remind everyone of his worth.

Cameron Hanekom

Big eighthman Cameron Hanekom is fast becoming a Springbok “bomb squad” favourite having put in some massive performances off the bench this year.

After making his international debut against Wales in 2024, Hanekom unfortunately missed the entire 2025 international season due to injury. This year he has finally gotten back in the mix and has made six appearances, with two starts and four off the bench.

The 24-year-old has proven his versatility in the loose trio, having started at flank against England and eighthman against Argentina, and along with Paul de Villiers is arguably the Boks’ first choice loose forward backup.

He is behind Jasper Wiese in the pecking order, but another strong cameo against the French will continue putting pressure on the players ahead of him, and keep him as a key member of the “bomb squad”.

Franco Mostert

Franco Mostert has always been the Boks’ ultimate utility forward, and has for many years covered the lock and loose forward positions. He used to be the first choice lock pairing with Eben Etzebeth, before he became a similar player to Pieter-Steph du Toit, with some huge performances when put on the side of the scrum.

But over the past couple of years the 35-year-old has slowly dropped out of favour because of injuries, but has been kept in the playing mix.

In the No 5 pecking order, Ruan Nortjé and Lood de Jager are both ahead of Mostert, while the injured RG Snyman will also be ahead of him once he returns. The Boks are also fully stocked at loose forward.

So, Mostert will need to remind the Bok management of his worth every time he gets a chance to play. When he comes off the bench against France this weekend it will only be his third appearance of the year, and he will want to make a positive impact.

Ethan Hooker

It has been an incredible rise in the Springbok setup for 23-year-old Ethan Hooker, who has already racked up 15 caps for the national team since making his debut against Italy in Gqeberha last year. He has essentially become the team’s first in line backup utility back.

Hooker can essentially cover across the centres, at wing and fullback, and if Cheslin Kolbe or Kurt-Lee Arendse is unavailable he is first to slot in.

He has managed to move ahead of Canan Moodie in the pecking order, but coach Rassie Erasmus is still a big fan of Moodie’s, so Hooker has to be on his toes if he is to keep his spot, and another big performance on Friday will go a long way to doing that.

Hooker had a great game over the past weekend against Italy and he will be looking to take that momentum into the huge game against France and again impress.