France 30 Australia 29
Australia came agonisingly close to a victory that for large tranches of this Test match would have been merited on the strength of opportunism, a superior tactical kicking game after the interval, and the placekicking prowess of outhalf Bernard Foley.
It almost sufficed against an off-colour France but the home side to the delight of their supporters at the Stade de France made off with the spoils thanks to a brilliant individual try from right wing Damian Penaud on 77 minutes.
A gorgeous sidestep left Tom Wright sitting on the turf, a hand-off got rid of Andrew Kellaway and Penaud then accelerated away from the despairing dive of replacement scrumhalf Jake Gordon to score in the corner and give France their 11th consecutive victory, a record for the national side.
When Ireland head coach Andy Farrell studies the footage ahead of the Wallabies’s arrival in Dublin next week, one aspect that will stand out is that France won nine of 10 turnovers, the other an Aussie mistake, eviscerating the visitors at the breakdown.
It was the second consecutive match in which Australia have struggled at ruck time, Scotland causing them huge distress there, albeit that the Wallabies managed to nick a win at Murrayfield. The French chose intelligently when to contest the ball, and/or to pile bodies in on the counter-ruck, both gambits hugely effective.
In response Australia won none in a tally of seven, all of which came from French handling mistakes. Aussie head coach Dave Rennie is sure to address that issue in the way he sets up for the Ireland game – the Wallabies play Italy next weekend – because handing Farrell’s side that prime possession would be disastrous.
On any other day France would have punished them but were unusually off-kilter with most of their attacking efforts. Their other try came from Foley’s loose pass, hacked on by Gael Fickou and when Antoine Dupont collared Kellaway two metres from the Aussie line, the French counter-ruck yielded a turnover and a try for hooker Julien Marchand.
Thomas Ramos’s conversion gave the home side a 19-13 lead. The French were able to disrupt Australia’s lineout, pinching one and forcing two further turnovers at the set piece. Discipline was another issue with the Wallabies conceding 11 penalties, six of which fullback Ramos kicked in a personal tally of 20 points. It kept the home side in the game in the first half.
Despite these issues Australia still managed to score 29 points against the Grand Slam champions and in flashes their capability in attack. They scored the best try of the game when playing on instinct following a turnover eight metres from their line.
Kellaway spotted the potential and released Wright, the left wing getting outside and away from the cover, the 82-metre counterattack eventually finished by centre Lalakai Foketi who dotted down under the French posts. The Aussies scrambled well in defence for the most part with their outstanding number eight Rob Valetini and tighthead prop Taniela Tupou putting in some huge hits.
The French were very narrow in attack in the first 50 minutes and enjoyed more joy when they managed to get the ball into the wider channels. From an attacking perspective, Aussie scrumhalf Nic White provides the fulcrum. He carries the ball laterally, engaging defenders, looking to draw them out of the line to put team-mates through gaps or fires 10 or 15 metre passes, habitually shrewd in changing the point of attack.
The Aussies like to work the channels close to rucks employing a late runner on to an inside pass. Ireland’s discipline will have to be good. Foley, restored to the national team at outhalf, has landed 17 of his last 18 place-kicks, the only blemish on Saturday at the Stade de France.
If Australia can solve or at least sort out a little better the issues they are suffering at the breakdown it will in turn allow them to bring a greater fluency to their attacking patterns. The two teams kicked a lot of ball in the territorial battle, a duel that the Aussies shaded.
Former Wallaby Drew Mitchell said in commentary when addressing the issue of gallant defeats under Rennie: “Let’s not celebrate getting close, they should have won that game. They should have lost last week [when they beat Scotland].
“We see improvement in this Wallabies team, but the same things are repeating themselves over and over. We should be celebrating a win here. It’s hard, we get ourselves into these positions and we find a way to lose a game.”
Scoring sequence - 3 mins: Foley penalty, 0-3; 5: Ramos penalty, 3-3; 10: Ramos penalty, 6-3; 13: Foley penalty, 6-6; 18: Foketi try, Foley conversion, 6-13; 33: Ramos penalty, 9-13; 38: Ramos penalty, 12-13; 40 (+1): Marchand try, Ramos conversion, 19-13. Halftime: 19-13. 44: Foley penalty, 19-16; 47: Ramos penalty, 22-16; 57: Campbell try, Foley conversion, 22-23; 67: Foley penalty 22-26; 73: Ramos penalty, 25-26; 76: Hodge penalty, 25-29; 77: Penaud try, 30-29.
France: T Ramos; D Penaud, 13 G Fickou, J Danty, Y Moefana; R Ntamack, A Dupont (capt); C Baille, J Marchand, U Atonio; C Woki, T Flament, A Jelonch, C Ollivon, G Alldritt. Replacements: R Taofifenua for Woki 49 mins; P Mauvaka for Marchand 53 mins; Dany Priso for Baille 53 mins; S Falatea for Atonio 53 mins; M Jalibert for Ntamack 57 mins; M Lebel for Fickou 66 mins.
Australia: J Campbell; A Kellaway, L Ikitau, L Foketi, T Wright, B Foley, N White; J Slipper (capt), D Porecki, T Tupou; N Frost, C Neville; J Holloway, M Hooper, Rob Valetini. Replacements: H Paisami for Foketo 23 mins; F Fainga’a for Porecki 52 mins; W Skelton for Neville 53 mins; J Gordon for White 60 mins; T Robertson for Tupou 70 mins; P Samu for Hooper 70 mins; R Hodge for Foley 71 mins; M Gibbons for Slipper 78 mins.
Referee: J Peyper (South Africa).
