PARIS (AP) — Falling to France on Black Friday is going to haunt South Africa rugby coach Rassie Erasmus for at least a week.
The Springboks lost to France 21-19 for only the second time in 16 years, breaking their unbeaten run in the Nations Championship and likely also costing them a place in the final and their No. 1 world ranking.
Erasmus praised France while saying the Springboks had only themselves to blame for dropping a match in which they were the heavy favorite. But they never led and trailed at halftime for the second time this year.
“We didn't play well and I'm not going to make excuses,” Erasmus said. "They were able to seize every opportunity that came their way, unlike us. However, we also had opportunities, but we missed passes and made too many mistakes.
"The French pushed us to make mistakes, to force our rugby, to get us out of what we wanted to put in place. But it's a problem that concerns the staff, not the players. The players did what they could. It's up to us, the coaches, to find solutions. I'm going to think about all of this all night and probably all week.
“The match was extremely intense ... a real battle. The French won it on the gong. And, believe me, it hurts to lose in this way.”
Erasmus believed they overplayed their crushing dominance in the scrums. The Boks were earning a penalty from almost every scrum, especially in the second half. But Erasmus thought instead of setting another scrum they should have aimed for more corner lineouts. Their maul was also unstoppable.
“We should not systematically wait for the referee to award us penalties,” he said. “In the scrum, in particular, we should have reacted differently, perhaps by kicking more into the corners.”
It was announced an hour before kickoff that he swapped his front rows, benching the starters and starting the reserves, like he did before the second Greatest Rivalry test against New Zealand in Cape Town in August. His reason then was because the weather was drier than expected.
Rain wasn't in the forecast on Friday. He sent in his prime front row of Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw in the 35th minute after they went 21-7 behind.
“We announced our team on Monday but then we thought maybe we had to change something,” Erasmus said. “This explains this last-minute change in the front row. We weren't yet fully sure of our decision until the captain's run yesterday afternoon."
The Springboks go to Ireland next weekend before the playoffs. They will know on Saturday, after New Zealand play Wales, whether they have lost their lead in the Southern Hemisphere pool and No. 1 ranking.
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Ruan Nortje of South Africa waves to supporters at the end of the Nations Championship rugby match between France and South Africa, in Saint Denis, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
Manie Libbok of South Africa reacts at the end of the Nations Championship rugby match between France and South Africa, in Saint Denis, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Sam Lewis scored a career-high 28 points and No. 6 Virginia passed its first road test of the season, rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Maryland 87-83 on Friday night.
Thijs De Ridder added 20 points for the Cavaliers (5-0), who have won four straight and 10 of 11 against their former Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, including the last three at Xfinity Center. Maryland hasn't beaten Virginia since March 9, 2014 — the teams’ last meeting before the Terrapins moved to the Big Ten.
De Ridder's 3-pointer with 1:33 left gave Virginia an 85-77 lead and quieted the red-clad crowd. The Cavaliers shot 20 of 26 (76.9%) from the field in the second half and 62.3% overall.
Pharrel Payne scored 20 points, Kaden House added 17 and Mike McNair Jr. had 15 for the Terps (1-2), who led 47-36 at halftime. Virginia had not trailed by more than five at any point this season.
But the Cavaliers chipped away in the second half, powered by Lewis and Chance Mallory, whose 3-pointer with 6:31 left put Virginia ahead 70-69, its first lead since it was 5-4.
Lewis' dunk with 5:07 remaining gave the Cavaliers a 74-72 lead, and De Ridder added a driving layup for a four-point advantage.
Johann Grunloh scored 15 points and Mallory finished with 12.
The Cavaliers were out of rhythm during a choppy, foul-heavy first half as Maryland scored 19 of its first 40 points at the free-throw line. With 9:36 left in the half, Virginia had more turnovers (six) than field goals (five).
Andre Mills electrified the crowd when he rose for a powerful dunk that sent the trailing 7-footer Grunloh tumbling to the floor. And McNair was wide open for a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
But Payne struggled to get consistent touches in the second half as Virginia came back to deny second-year Maryland coach Buzz Williams a much-needed quality win. The Terps went 12-21 in Williams' first season and were coming off a loss to Georgetown that increased fan angst.
Virginia hosts Old Dominion on Tuesday night.
Maryland hosts Alcorn State on Monday night.
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Virginia Cavaliers center Johann Grunloh (17) dunks over Maryland Terrapins forward Baba Oladotun (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maryland Terrapins guard Andre Mills (7) dunks as Virginia Cavaliers center Johann Grunloh (17) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maryland Terrapins guard Andre Mills (7) celebrates with guard Kaden House, left, after dunking against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Virginia Cavaliers forward Thijs de Ridder, right, drives toward the basket past Maryland Terrapins forward Tomislav Buljan (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) shoots a layup during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Maryland Terrapins, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
