First Half Action Sees Australia Take Lead
The Nations Championship Test between Australia and France in Brisbane delivered a chaotic and frenetic first half. The unstructured nature of play appeared to suit Australia, who demonstrated an eagerness to attack at every opportunity. Despite the broken field rugby, the Wallabies gained an advantage through three 50-22 kicks and effective lineout play.
Early in the match, Fraser McReight scored a try for Australia, benefiting from a well-executed set-piece. The lineout was described as textbook, with Canham showing strength and the maul forming rapidly. With France temporarily down a player, the Australian maul advanced over the line with force, allowing McReight to touch down. Ryan Lonergan successfully added the conversion, contributing to Australia’s lead.
The first half also featured moments of end-to-end play. France nearly scored but turned over possession, leading to an Australian counter-attack. France then regained possession and came close to scoring again, but McReight intervened to prevent the try. The half concluded with France being awarded a penalty inside Australia’s half, following a period of intense action.
As the first half drew to a close, the Wallabies maintained a nine-point lead over France. Statistics from the first half showed Australia with 52 percent possession, while France held 55 percent territory. Australia had 16 defenders beaten compared to France’s 12. Both teams had a tackle completion rate of 76 percent. Australia secured one line-out steal, and France conceded five penalties to Australia’s two.
France Rallies in Second Half
The second half began with France showing clear intent, making multiple visits into the Wallabies’ half. Early in the half, Australia was penalised for a dangerous tackle by Max Jorgensen on French winger Théo Attissogbe, a decision made three minutes after the incident. From this penalty, Maxime Lucu successfully kicked a penalty goal, reducing Australia’s lead.
France continued to press, and Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored his second try for France after sustained attack. Matthieu Jalibert kicked for his winger on the left edge, and Grandidier-Nkanang completed the score. During the build-up to this try, Tom Wright was shown a yellow card for an infringement in defence, leaving the Wallabies with 14 players for ten minutes.
Capitalising on their numerical advantage, France scored again through Romain Ntamack, who crossed down the left edge. Maxime Lucu converted from out wide, giving France the lead. Shortly after, Florian Verhaeghe scored another try under the posts, extending France’s advantage. The conversion attempt was successful, further increasing France’s lead.
France’s momentum continued, with the team scoring 25 unanswered points after half-time. A potential try by Théo Attissogbe was disallowed after review, as the final pass from Matthieu Jalibert was judged to have gone forward. This provided a significant let-off for Australia, whose defence had been under pressure.
Late Game Developments
As the game progressed, Australia struggled to regain attacking opportunities. In the 65th minute, the Wallabies entered France’s territory but lost possession, marking one of their few attacking chances in the second half. Later, Jock Campbell was penalised for an obstruction play inside Australia’s half, and Maxime Lucu converted the penalty, adding to France’s lead.
In the 68th minute, the Wallabies had an encouraging entry inside the French 22, building pressure through phase play. However, Nick Champion de Crespigny, who had replaced Rob Valetini, knocked on close to France’s line, ending the attacking chance. Despite efforts to maintain possession and move the ball, Australia found it difficult to penetrate France’s defence, with play often grinding to a halt due to strong French tackling and turnovers.
France continued to manage the game effectively, slowing down play and inviting aerial contests in Australia’s half. The Wallabies attempted to create opportunities, but a forward pass from Wright disrupted their efforts. The match saw Australia’s hopes of a comeback diminish as France maintained control, with the score standing at 37-21 in favour of France in the 62nd minute.
The game featured several turnovers, with Fraser McReight forcing two turnovers at the breakdown in the second half. Despite these efforts, Australia faced challenges in maintaining possession and converting opportunities into points. The match was played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
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Source: theguardian.com
