Rassie hails Boks for taking tough calls on chin

SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus has praised his players for holding their nerve after a dubious red card to Lood de Jager left them playing the second half of their match at the Stade de France with 14 men.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The Boks did not panic. Instead, they delivered a composed performance to stun the French 32-17 in a statement win that consolidated South Africa's position at the top of the World Rugby rankings.

The Boks had to dig deep and scored three tries in the final 20 minutes to register their biggest victory over the French in Paris since 1997.

Captain Siya Kolisi played in his 100th Test, but the red card resulted in him being replaced at halftime in his milestone match.

"It was probably close to midnight at home (when the final whistle sounded), so thank you to the people who stayed up and watched the game we play for them and for South Africa," said Erasmus.