There is no disgrace in losing to South Africa – everyone who has played them this year, bar the All Blacks, has gone the same way. The Springboks leave for home after an unbeaten European tour, brandishing a record for 2013 of 10 wins from 12. As Jean de Villiers, their captain, pointed out: if you include last year's tour the record reads 13 from 15. So the Springboks are happy with where they are for now.
The curious thing is the degree to which the French seem, if not happy, then resigned to where they are. Their record for 2013 reads two home wins (against Scotland and Tonga) and a draw from 10 matches. It is hard to imagine any coach of the major nations confronting their press at the end of a year like that with anything other than a thunderous countenance.
Certainly, you could legitimately describe Thierry Dusautoir, France's captain, as smouldering in the post-match press conference, not that there is nothing new about that. Philippe Saint-André, his coach, though, was as smiley and breezy as ever, congratulating South Africa on their latest victory. "They are not the second best team in the world by chance," he said.
Not once did he have to deal with a question about his future. He is, rightly, one of the more well-loved figures in the game, but the grace he is being extended in the search for France's je ne sais quoi might raise eyebrows among former coaches of certain countries – Wales, for example. Or South Africa.
In this era of the fleeting contract, maybe France are right to give their man more time. Saint-André was quick to point to the promise shown this autumn of young men in key positions, namely Brice Dulin at full-back, who looked dangerous here in the first half, and Rémi Talès, France's latest candidate for the troublesome seat at fly-half.
First things first, though. If France were ever to show Saint-André the door, he might very well make a retaliatory enquiry after the terms of employment of the groundsman. If coaches talk about the importance of a solid foundation to build on, they usually take for granted that their yeomen can be sure of remaining upright when they take to the pitch. The only explanation for the state of the Stade de France turf was offered by Saint-André, again with a laugh and a shrug. It's all the football that's played on it, apparently.
Whether he was laughing so readily when Morgan Parra slipped and missed a simple penalty early in the first half is unlikely. Parra had just gifted the Springboks a try at the end of minute one, from which France never really recovered, but a successful penalty then might have eased the nerves, at least. Then the French were suddenly, and for no obvious reason, obliterated at a scrum (which might well have been a question of footing) to concede a penalty midway through the first half, before another penalty at a lineout and drive helped South Africa to a 13-point lead a few minutes before the break. France snatched an opportunist try on the stroke of half-time, but never threatened to win the game – indeed, the TMO twice denied South Africa tries in the third quarter. Both were mighty close calls.
A respectable defeat it may have been, but all is not well in the French camp. They could easily have lost more heavily than they did. "Even at the toss with Thierry [Dusautoir] you could see they were a bit nervous," said De Villiers, "so we took motivation from that. We got a lucky try at the start and it set us up nicely. We didn't play well tonight but this game was about winning, something we haven't done here in 16 years. This is not the end of the year for us – it's just another step in our journey towards where we want to be."
Typically ambitious, typically South African, only ever looking to the next challenge. The headline on the front page of Sunday's L'Equipe, meanwhile, read: 'Vivement 2014'. But the French might be looking forward to 2014 simply as relief from the horrors of 2013.
