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What a great, tight encounter. The French got the Wallabies with some up tempo play early in the match, some poor defending gave the French two tries, but the Wallabies never gave up and continued to give the game a good shake.
Breaks late in the game were promising from the Wallabies; Cooper and Genia were good when they came on and Folau got involved late to get things going.
I thought Cheika was too late to make the changes and also the Wallabies ball handling was quite poor as well. The scrum when Skelton came on was shambolic but it’s all part of the learning process.
FINAL SCORE:
France 29
Wallabies 26
The Wallabies say bonjour to France as they look to continue their unbeaten start under Michael Cheika and win their third game of the spring tour. Join us here on The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:00am (AEDT).
It was a gripping encounter the last time the Wallabies played, taking a tight 33-28 win against Wales.
It meant the Wallabies kept a six-year winning streak over the Welsh alive, but also led to questions from the Welsh coach Warren Gatland about Australia’s ability to improve ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Bernard Foley scored all of Australia’s second-half points and ultimately sealed the win. He then almost gave the game back to Wales with a kick to space with 30 seconds left on the clock, showing the Wallabies have some holes in their game.
Michael Cheika also raised some eyebrows with news Kurtley Beale would be joining Wallabies teammates in France. Beale will no doubt add some firepower to the Wallabies line-up if he does indeed play.
This is the first time the French and Aussies have met four times in the one year, and no doubt the French will be aiming to get one back after the Aussies won all three on home soil earlier this year.
The pressure is also off the French, who beat Fiji last game, after losing three Tests to Australia and one to Ireland. They will also be buoyed by knowing that Cheika’s men have been far from convincing in their first two games under the new coach.
Former captain James Horwill will be elevated from the bench to replace Sam Carter at lock. Tetera Faulkner has also been dropped from the bench, with Quade Cooper and Benn Robinson filling the vacant substitute positions.
It’s also a milestone day for two Wallabies, with prop Sekope Kepu set to play his 50th Test, while winger Adam Ashley-Cooper will become the equal fourth-highest capped Wallaby in his 102nd appearance.
Big stat
The Wallabies have won eight of the last nine Tests against France, but only two of the past six on French soil. Their 36.4 per cent win rate in France is their worst against any Six Nations opposition away from home.
Prediction
The Wallabies will scrape the win in a tight encounter.
Wallabies by 3.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.