France vs South Africa betting preview: Prediction and rugby betting tips

France vs South Africa tips: South Africa to win by 1-7 points - 18/5 UnibetSacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu to score a try at any time - 6/4 Bet365The world's top two teams go head-to-head in the Nations Championship on Friday, when France welcome South Africa to the Stade de France (20:10 GMT, live on ITV and TNT Sports).Both sides sit top of their respective hemispheres after four games, and the Springboks have the edge with four wins from four, while France have won three and lost one.That defeat came against New Zealand back in July when the All Blacks ran out 34-32 winners at Te Kaha thanks to two tries apiece from Cam Roigard and Will Jordan.Since then, France have beaten Australia, Japan and most recently Fiji last time out when they ran out 54-17 winners with eight tries from seven different scorers.South Africa have beaten England, Wales, Scotland and Italy and made easy work of them all to live up to their ranking of world number one. Springboks to sneak it in ParisDespite their recent form in this competition, which includes a 43-0 demolition of Wales, they were beaten in their last match in the Southern Hemisphere, going down 42-38 to Australia in Perth, so they do have some weaknesses.The rugby betting sites are viewing that defeat as nothing more than a blip as they are offering just 2/5 on a Springboks win, while you can get 5/2 on a home win in Paris. South Africa have dominated recent meetings, winning nine of their last 10 matches, including the last five Tests at the Stade de France. France’s only win in that run came in November 2022, when they ran out 30-26 winners against 14-man South Africa in Marseille, in November 2022.Barring the last meeting, which was a 32-17 win for the Springboks, just over 12 months ago, there has been little to choose between the two sides, with the biggest win since 2017 being by just four points and two of the meetings being won by just one.Betting sites are offering 18/5 on South Africa winning by 1-7 points, or you can get 7/2 on them securing a more convincing win by 8-14. I prefer the former. France vs South Africa prediction 1: South Africa to win by 1-7 points - 18/5 UnibetFeinberg-Mngomezulu to star for the SpringboksSacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is one of the most exciting players around, and the Springboks fly-half was responsible for 26 of the 66 points they scored against Italy last weekend.He got the scoring underway with a penalty before running in the first of nine tries. He also kicked all nine conversions, so it’s no surprise that the betting apps have him as short as 6/4 to score a try at any time, but you can also get 16/1 on him scoring first again. The anytime pick is the safer play at a fair price. France vs South Africa prediction 2: Feinberg-Mngomezulu to score a try at any time - 6/4 Bet365France vs South Africa predicted lineups:France: Attissogbe; Grandidier-Nkanang, Gourgues, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Dupont (c), Lucu; Falatea, Marchand, Gros; Verhaeghe, Guillard; Cros, Woki, AlldrittSouth Africa: Willemse; Arendse, Kriel, De Allende, Hooker; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Van den Berg; Nche, Marx, Louw; De Jager, Nortje; PS du Toit, Kolisi (c), WieseResponsible gamblingBettors should always gamble responsibly online. Always remain within a budget and never exceed it. Never chase your losses.Anyone can lose a bet even if they know a lot about football. It is easy to get carried away with betting on sport, so remain in control of your time and betting when claiming free bets or any other betting offers.Bettors can use responsible gambling tools provided by gambling sites UK, such as deposit limits, loss limits and self-exclusion, among others.Should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues, there are several charities, organisations and healthcare providers who offer support and information:NHS Help GambleAware Gamblers Anonymous GAMSTOPWe may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.