Australia’s Wallaroos have been left frustrated after a potentially huge Test win got away as an undisciplined France escaped with a miraculous comeback, having been 19 points down and reduced to just 11 players at one stage.
On an extraordinary day of Test rugby, exacerbated by off-field drama when the second half was delayed by a bus on fire adjacent to the Stade Maurice David in Aix-en-Provence, French fans were left stunned at how their depleted side somehow still conjured a 29-26 win on Saturday.
And Australia, the world’s No 9 side, will wonder how they let off the hook the fourth-ranked French side who were at one point in the first half down to 11 players after a red card and three yellows, including one upgraded to a 20-minute red.
It enabled the Wallaroos to power into a 19-0 lead but it still proved not enough to stop France fighting back to prevail with three second-half tries, even while suffering a sixth card after the break.
Wallaroos coach Tim Walsh reflected pride as well as disappointment for his team post-match.
“We put ourselves in a position to win and we didn’t execute,” he said. “The positive is we put ourselves in position to win, but we are disappointed.
“Particularly on half-time when the French scored with 13 players – that is unacceptable. And that’s probably where momentum shifted.”
Both Walsh and captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona saw the match as a step forward in the drive to become a tier-one team ahead of the home 2029 World Cup, with the need for more such competition to keep improving game management and other skills.
Australia, who also had Michaela Leonard sent to the bin in the second half to complete the seven-card chaos, didn’t help themselves as the French reeled off 17 unanswered points in the final 25 minutes to turn a 26-12 deficit into the most unlikely win.
Ultimately, the four Australian tries from Britanny Merlo, Tania Naden, Caitlyn Halse and Piper Duck weren’t enough for them to follow up last week’s comprehensive loss to England with a morale-boosting win.
The craziness began early, with France hit with four cards in 20 minutes as Ambre Mwayembe, Lea Champon and Lea Murie were all binned for high tackles – Mwayembe’s being upgraded to a 20-minute red – before Chloe Correa got a straight red for eye-gouging in the maul.
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Australia cashed in. Merlo rolled over from the maul for her second international try after 17 minutes, Naden peeled off to score against a side left helpless when down to 11, and Halse then scored the Wallaroos’ slickest effort after a fine team move.
But when France started getting their numbers back, it became a very different game, as they reduced the deficit to 19-12 by half-time, when everyone got distracted by the blaze that left smoke billowing around the ground before it was extinguished.
After Duck’s early score five minutes into the delayed second half, Pauline Bourdon went over the whitewash to narrow the gap.
When Leonard was binned for a high tackle, the hosts became increasingly encouraged, only to be checked again as Charlotte Escudero got penalised for 10 minutes for her own high challenge.
Australia missed their chance as Naden knocked on as they pressed for a score, with France then using their maul power to go over for a 68th minute score through hooker Élisa Riffonneau before Teani Feleu crashed over in the corner for the clincher.
The Wallaroos could take some comfort in their improved performance after the England loss and they’ll fancy their chances in Edinburgh next week against Scotland, who lost 66-14 to 10-try New Zealand on Saturday.