South African forward Kermit Erasmus made a losing first appearance of the season for French Ligue 1 side Rennes on Sunday evening.

It proved an evening of mixed emotions for the former Orlando Pirates star as Rennes fell to 1-0 defeat against Nice in their season opener. Having conceded on the hour mark, Erasmus was brought on as an impact substitute in the 79th minute.

Ultimately, however, neither the South African nor a teammate was able to cancel out Malang Sarr’s opening goal, as Rennes slumped to a narrow away defeat at the Allianz Riviera.

Erasmus arrived in Rennes at the half-way mark of last season having scored three goals from 13 appearances for Pirates in the Premiership. The forward has struggled to assert himself in France since the switch, having being limited to just a couple of appearances off the bench.

The 26-year-old striker will be hoping to make more of an impact when his side face Nancy in their next competitive fixture at home on Saturday.

The match will be played Roazhon Park.

Kick-off is at 20:00.