In a tale of two halves, South Africa beat France by 20-15 at Durban's ABSA Stadium on Saturday as they restored parity following their upset loss in the 1st Test but it was rather a dour affair.
Trailing 14-15 (also the score at half-time) for most of the second half, the Springboks launched one attack after another. But Les Bleus defence held out and if it was not for a penalty goal by Butch James in the 75th minute, the score would have remained the same for the whole of the second stanza.
Incidentally James' penalty attempt was one of only two successful attempts out of five after the break, after he slotted three from four in the first 40 minutes.
The game started at pace, and both teams ran hard at each other.
The Springboks held their heads high in the opening exchanges, and although coach Harry Viljoen would still not be completely satisfied with their play, they showed a lot of promise on attack.
The only try of the match was scored after 32 minutes in the first half, when the Boks broke the advantage line a number of times with great attacking play. After a number of well-constructed phases flank Corné Krige, who conceded three early penalties, barged over for the five-pointer in the corner.
The Boks lead 11-9 after the missed conversion, with the two flyhalves slotting two penalty goals each in the first half-hour.
Sadly for South Africa, Krige's try was the only real highlight of the game. They could not break the French defence in the second half and will have to put in a lot of work it they are going to score tries in the Tri-Nations.
However, the Boks were much more committed and fluent on the attack than last week, with centre Robbie Fleck and wing Dean Hall looking dangerous when they got the ball.
However, the last week's disciplinary problems reared its ugly head again, and Mark Andrews (lock) and De Wet Barry (centre) spent some time in the sinbin in the opening 40 minutes.
James, slotting five from nine in only his second Test, was also lucky not to be yellow carded in the first half for an armless tackle. Two crucial penalties, under a lot of pressure, came late in the game.
The Springboks' line-outs, though much better than last week with the lanky Albert van den Berg the stand-out player, were still not good enough and they will struggle against the Aussies and All Blacks if they don't improve drastically in this department.
Van den Berg's injury late in the game -- he left the field on a buggy with a suspected rib or chest injury -- will provide Viljoen with a few problems, as he was really good in this game, his line-out jumping in the second half virtually flawless.
Like the rugby public in South Africa has become accustomed to, captain André Vos was every where on the field. His leadership was outstanding and his general play much better than last week.
The French played well and their patience in the first half paid off as they were awarded 12 penalties -- four of which flyhalf Gérald Merceron converted into points. The little French general also slotted a drop-goal late shortly before half-time.
No.7 flank Olivier Magne again looked dangerous and they missed him when he had to leave the field for a yellow card. Stéphane Glas (centre) and Merceron also gave their all for Les Bleus.
The visitors' best player was their veteran captain and scrumhalf Fabien Galthié, who was a thorn in the Boks' side with his great defence around the fringes as well as varying his attacking play very well.
However, in the second half things were much different for Les Bleus. They had to defend like lions and their first scoring opportunities was in the 77th minute (when Merceron missed a drop goal) and 79th minute (missed penalty goal by the flyhalf).
Both teams were warned against foul play by English referee Chris White, who controlled the game well.
France, leaving South Africa for one Test agaist the All Blacks, will be satisfied with the first stop of their three-Test tour. The drawn series against the Boks would be much more than they expected to achieve with an inexperienced team, and the promise showed by some of the youngsters is a good omen for the future of French rugby.
For the Boks it is back to the drawing board. They were somewhat lucky to escape with the win in Durban and their lack of finishing moves is something Viljoen and his assistant coaches must seriously look at if they want to prevent a whitewash at the hands of Australia and New Zealand in the Tri-Nations.
Their veteran scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen would have been pleased with his effort this week after a somewhat indifferent performance in Johannesburg.
But Rassie Erasmus (flank) and Willie Meyer did not impress and they will have to lift their games considerably if they want to feature in the Tests later in the year.
Man of the match: The Springbok captain André Vos played very well for the home side, committing himself 200 per cent on defence and on the attack. His cover play was also much better than last week.
Moment of the match: After 32 minutes Corné Krige scored the only try of the game after a good build-up by the Boks. That was the only real highlight of the game.
Villain of the match: The three players that received yellow cards -- Mark Andrews, De Wet Barry and Olivier Magne -- share the "award". Their stupid play could have cost their teams dearly, but lucky for the trio, it did not amount to too much.
The Teams:
South Africa: 1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 John Smit, 3 Willie Meyer, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Albert Van Den Bergh, 6 Johan Erasmus, 7 Corne Krige, 8 Andre Vos (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Robbie Fleck, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves: Johan Ackermann, Robbie Kempson, Percy Montgomery, Bobby Skinstad
Unused: Neil De Kock, Etienne Fynn, Conrad Jantjes
France: 1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Raphael Ibanez, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 David Auradou, 5 Olivier Brouzet, 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Sebastien Chabal, 8 Patrick Tabacco, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 David Bory, 12 Stephane Glas, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 14 Christophe Dominici, 15 Nicolas Jeanjean
Reserves: Olivier Azam, Christian Califano, Lionel Nallet, Elvis Vermeulen
Unused: Pepito Elhorga, Pierre Mignoni, David Skrela
Attendance: 45000
Referee: White c.
Points Scorers:
South Africa
Tries: Krige C.J.P. 1
Pen K.: James A.D. 5
France
Pen K.: Merceron G. 4
Drop G.: Merceron G. 1
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