Australia 26–42 France: match report & highlights

Full-time: Australia 26 – 42 France

France proved too strong for Australia in this Nations Championship encounter, running out convincing winners. The visitors made a blistering start, with Emmanuel Meafou touching down in the opening minutes to set the tone. Australia rallied through Brandon Paenga-Amosa and a double from Fraser McReight to lead at the break, but the momentum shifted decisively in France's favour after the interval. The French unleashed a devastating second-half assault, with Romain Ntamack and Florian Verhaeghe crossing in quick succession to turn the match on its head. Maxime Lucu's boot kept the scoreboard ticking over as France stretched clear, while a late try from Jeremy Williams proved merely a consolation for the Australians.

France's intensity in the second half overwhelmed their opponents, particularly after Tom Wright's yellow card disrupted Australia's defensive shape. Theo Attissogbe's late try underlined French dominance, as they controlled territory and possession to secure a dominant victory. Despite showing fight and attacking intent throughout, Australia's defence simply couldn't contain the pace and precision of the French backline in the latter stages.

Key moments

• 77' 77' Try: Jeremy Williams (Australia) — Australia 26 – 42 France
• 73' 73' Try: Theo Attissogbe (France) — Australia 21 – 42 France
• 63' 63' Penalty: Maxime Lucu (France) — Australia 21 – 37 France
• 58' 58' Conversion: Maxime Lucu (France) — Australia 21 – 34 France
• 57' 57' Try: Florian Verhaeghe (France) — Australia 21 – 32 France
• 55' 55' Conversion: Maxime Lucu (France) — Australia 21 – 27 France
• 54' 54' Try: Romain Ntamack (France) — Australia 21 – 25 France
• 50' 50' Try: Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (France) — Australia 21 – 20 France
• 46' 46' Penalty: Maxime Lucu (France) — Australia 21 – 15 France
• 35' 35' Conversion: Ryan Lonergan (Australia) — Australia 21 – 12 France
• 34' 34' Try: Fraser McReight (Australia) — Australia 19 – 12 France
• 28' 28' Conversion: Ryan Lonergan (Australia) — Australia 14 – 12 France
• 27' 27' Try: Fraser McReight (Australia) — Australia 12 – 12 France
• 18' 18' Try: Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang (France) — Australia 7 – 12 France
• 11' 11' Conversion: Ryan Lonergan (Australia) — Australia 7 – 7 France
• 10' 10' Try: Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Australia) — Australia 5 – 7 France
• 4' 4' Conversion: Maxime Lucu (France) — Australia 0 – 7 France
• 3' 3' Try: Emmanuel Meafou (France) — Australia 0 – 5 France

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Highlights