France comprehensively outmuscled world champions South Africa 20-13 to continue their 12-year home run of victories over the recently crowned Tri-Nations winners.

The French win at the Municipal Stadium was based on a steely performance by the forwards, notably in the scrum and at the breakdown, that will have their Six Nations opponents scrabbling for their video analysis.

The Springboks repeatedly paid the price for ill-discipline, Morne Steyn and Ryan Kankowski both sin-binned as referee Wayne Barnes cracked down on collapsing the rolling maul and rucks.

Julien Dupuy kicked four penalties from six, and Morgan Parra one, with winger Vincent Clerc bagging a try for the home side while Steyn hit a penalty and drop-goal as well as converting an opportunist's try by captain John Smit.

"Everyone said you can't play the Boks at their own game, in the same physical way," said France coach Marc Lievremont.

"But we did. We won the contest and had the extra physical edge to win the game. It's very satisfying."

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers added: "You can't play the game without the ball.

"They won the contest on the floor and we lost too much ball in contact. They were the strongest side."

The French matched the physicality offered by the Springboks in the opening quarter, young centre pairing Yann David and Maxime Mermoz causing the visiting midfield some problems, with flanker Imanol Harinordoquy and hooker William Servat prominent around the field.

South Africa's famed second row pairing of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield had a torrid opening 20 minutes, the former conceding the first penalty while both had to temporarily leave the field after heavy knocks to the head.

Dupuy made no mistake from 41 metres out after Botha was penalised in the fifth minute for coming in at the side of a ruck.

Steyn equalised with his first penalty after Harinordoquy was penalised for violent play, and doubled the visitors' tally with a drop-goal after a couple of piercing Schalk Burger runs had set him up.

Heinrich Brussow then overturned a French ball on the halfway line, Burger span it wide and Zane Kirchner grubbered on for a flying Bryan Habana, who just failed to get touch down.

But the resulting line-out ball was overthrown by Servat and Smit was the willing recipient who bundled his way over from five metres for a try Steyn converted.

The French came firing back, however, a bulldozing run from the excellent prop Fabien Barcella setting up quick ball that was worked right for Clerc to dot down in the corner.

Dupuy missed the conversion and then a penalty, but saw his third effort go over on the stroke of half-time after Steyn was yellow carded for tripping Clerc, making it 13-11 to the Boks.

The French halfback missed an early second-half penalty after Botha had dragged down a rolling maul, but nailed his next attempt from 43 metres after the Bok scrum folded under pressure to hand the home side a one-point lead.

Steyn then pulled a penalty attempt wide in the 57th minute but Dupuy stretched France's lead just minutes later after the Boks wheeled a scrum in their own 22-metre area.

Kanowski was then yellow carded for slowing the play of the ball down with France in prime position to score a second try.

Replacement halfback Parra skewed the easy penalty but it was all France in the final 10 minutes, Barcella playing like a centre and all but crossing on one occasion and putting away Clerc on another.

One final demolition of the Springbok scrum handed the chance for Parra to kick a penalty in front of the posts for a famous win over the world champions.

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