What better way to end the weekend with the hosts facing the reigning World Cup Champions!
Every quarter-final match offers its own unique exciting match but this one is going to be the most brutal of the lot.
South Africa came into the game not firing on all cylinders. At times they have shown that they can bully around the opposition but were far from flawless in their execution.
When you get to the knockout rounds you can’t be anything less than at your absolute best.
The Springbok team will need to go into this game with unwavering self-belief and focus after putting in a lot of effort during the week to execute at a high level for 80 minutes.
Random moments of great rugby mixed in with random moments of lower-quality rugby just won’t do.
The French have a lot going in their favor. They have the homefield advantage and it has been clear to see the passion and support of their home fans and how it has fueled them.
They have also not had any real missteps during the pool rounds. They played a physical game when needed and played with their signature flair when needed.
They have however been most effective in creating scoring opportunities from unstructured play. Adding some magic into a counterattack or a turnover takes a massive amount of skill and chemistry between players.
This is not something that France lacks.
They also have their talismanic captain, Dupont, returning after suffering a facial fracture against Namibia. A true Phoenix moment right there.
This one is going to be very tough to call. France has everything going for them but the weight of the occasion might get to them. South Africa will be out to prove why they deserve to be the World Cup champions.
My brain says France, while my heart says South Africa.
I am going with my heart on this one.