PARIS - France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey said Friday's grinding victory over South Africa can be a "cornerstone" for the team as they build towards next year's Rugby World Cup.
Les Bleus held on to edge the world champions 21-19 in Paris, with Bielle-Biarrey among the try-scorers in a tense affair 11 months out from the start of the showpiece tournament.
The success over the Springboks was the last time three-time World Cup runners-up France will play against either of the two highest-ranked teams before the competition, having lost by two points to New Zealand in July.
"We know matches against nations from the south are rare in the build-up to the World Cup," Bielle-Biarrey told reporters.
"I think it can really be a cornerstone of our World Cup preparation, because that's truly the goal."
France came into the fixture at the Stade de France as underdogs mainly down to a lengthy injury list with at least 20 players sidelined.
They were aiming for a measure of revenge for their 2023 World Cup quarter-final loss to the Boks in Paris and a first win over them in the French capital since 2005.
"It's good to beat the world champions," Bielle-Biarrey said.
"Especially as we weren't favourites.
"Not a lot of people put money on us tonight, but we believed in ourselves."