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Australia has won a thriller in Paris, holding on for a 25-23 win under extreme pressure.
France had an opportunity to win, finishing the stronger, but didn’t quite get the set-up right on their final play, replacement flyhalf Camille Lopez sending his dropkick wide to the left.
All the wash-up from France vs Wallabies:
» Diggercane’s talking points
» Brent Ford’s talking points
» What changes should the Wallabies make for Ireland?
» Vote on our DIY player ratings
» Re-live the match with our live blog
» WATCH the highlights from the match
Coach Michael Cheika will be delighted with this win, by a side with multiple changes from last week, showing great character to hold on. It wasn’t always pretty but there was far more good than bad against what was an always dangerous French side.
France won the early exchanges, Noa Nakataci squeezing through for a try, but through outstanding work at the breakdown, Australia worked their way back into the match, earning a penalty try from a massive rolling maul which was illegally pulled down.
At halftime, 13-11 to the Wallabies, it was anyone’s game, and so it proved.
Australia started the 2nd half with great intent and when Will Genia popped a superb soft ball for Bernard Foley to stroll through, they were out to 20-11.
France weren’t done however, Scott Spedding finding space down the left, and even though the TMO got involved due the hint of a forward transfer, the try to Jean-Marc Doussain was ruled good.
The key play of the match however, came when Tevita Kuridrani, almost shaking hands with the fans in row one, somehow planted the ball down in the corner; an incredibly athletic effort.
That gave Australia enough breathing space to see off their hosts, despite a nice try to Fofana and a willing effort on their part to steal the game at the death.
All in all, an extremely enjoyable match, marked by some terrific ball movement by both sides, and plenty of willing work at a hotly contested breakdown.
David Pocock was a worthy man of the match, showing that he isn’t averse to No.7 after all, but really there were standout performers all over the park, on both sides.
Will Genia played with nice control and composure, Wesley Fofana was always dangerous and all four Fijian wingers had nice moments.
France may feel aggrieved that Glen Jackson didn’t reward them with a penalty at the last scrum, but in reality, they had their chances, and Australia fully deserved to hang on for the win.
Final Score
Australia 25
France 23