The match was played in front of a passionate crowd of 8 000 spectators in Châteauroux, where the teams were tied 7-7 after a close-fought first half. France pulled away in the second half and ended up scoring two converted tries and two penalty goals, while the SA U19s countered with two tries and a conversion.

The SA U19s will travel to Dublin on Sunday and will be based in Cork while they prepare for their second match of the tour, against Ireland U19 next Friday evening.

Speaking after the match, Norton and Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote both expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play in France.

They view the match as a crucial step in the development and cultural integration of a young squad as they begin the journey towards the next year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia.

The South Africans only had a few days together in Stellenbosch before flying to France, where they prepared this past week at the French Rugby Federation's High-Performance Centre in Marcoussis.

Norton said the match was played in a fantastic spirit and noted that the crowd certainly played their part.

“The crowd was fantastic and France played well to win the game, so congratulations to them,” said Norton.

“The main goal for us is to use the tour so the team can learn and grow by playing proper games against quality opposition, as we rebuild towards Georgia next year. We will learn from these mistakes and will now prepare to face Ireland, hoping for an improved performance in Cork.”

Foote echoed these sentiments: “The main objective is developing this group, giving them clarity of our game model, how we want to play, and giving our team key experiences.

“France played with typical French flair, and we will have to learn from our mistakes, which will help us to grow, as we build towards the next international U20 season.”

Most members of the Academy squad got their first taste of playing in the South African jersey away from home, which Foote described as a special occasion for the players.