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The Johannesburg stadium where the Springboks won the 1995 Rugby World Cup watched by then state president Nelson Mandela has been a happy hunting ground for Les Bleus.
France have played four Tests against South Africa there since 1958 and won them all -- by four, five, one and nine-point margins.
The most recent success at the 65,000-seat ground a few kilometres east of downtown Johannesburg came in 2001, with the tourists finishing 32-23 victors.
Based on the first two Tests of this series, South Africa are favoured to complete a 3-0 whitewash and continue on the road to recovery from a calamitous 2016 season.
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Guided by new coach Allister Coetzee, the Springboks lost eight of 12 Tests, the worst calendar-year record for a country playing international rugby since 1891.
Coetzee survived intense close-season bashings from the public and media with former Springboks handler Nick Mallett saying better coaches of the green and gold had been axed.
The 54-year-old incumbent, a former provincial scrum-half denied a chance to play for the Springboks by apartheid, blamed his late appointment last year for the horror campaign.
Amid media speculation that he would be sacked if the team suffered a series defeat against France, Coetzee vowed to deliver victories in his second season.
Playing with a spirit totally lacking last year and performing the basics well, South Africa punished understrength France to triumph 37-14 in Pretoria.
Bolstered by a number of Clermont and Toulon stars unavailable the previous weekend, France were expected to fare much better in the second Test in Durban.
But after camping inside the Springboks 22-metre line for much of the third quarter without scoring, France suffered an almost identical reverse, losing 37-15 at Kings Park.
South Africa have made four changes to the starting line-up for Johannesburg -- two of them injury enforced -- with Coetzee saying wholesale alterations would have been suicidal.
"Changes were kept to a minimum because we have huge respect for this powerful French team. I anticipate a huge onslaught from them," he told reporters.
"This is the last match of the season for France and they will be highly motivated to finish on a high.
"We will have to work extremely hard to subdue a very physical French team who will test us in all departments."
"There is no room for complacency," he said of a side with two backline changes and two in the pack.
Having recovered from concussion, Jesse Kriel returns to outside centre with Lionel Mapoe switching to the South Africa A side that plays the French Barbarians in Soweto Friday.
Concussion has ruled out two other Durban starters with scrum-half Ross Cronje replaced by Francois Hougaard and the place of flanker Oupa Mohoje going to Jean-Luc du Preez.
Tighthead prop Ruan Dreyer wins a deserved first cap with many pundits believing he should have been there from the start of the series rather than Frans Malherbe.
France coach Guy Noves has given a vote of confidence to the pack that started in Durban with No. 8 Louis Picamoles having recovered from a injury that led to him being substituted.
In backline changes, full-back Brice Dulin, winger Nans Ducuing and fly-half Jules Plisson replace South Africa-born Scott Spedding, unfit Yoann Huget and Francois Trinh-Duc.
The Test marks the end of the season for France while South Africa begin their Rugby Championship campaign on August 19 at home to Argentina in Port Elizabeth.