France Dominate Australia in Nations Championship Showdown

France powered past Australia 42‑26 in round two of the Nations Championship, securing a fourth straight win over the Wallabies and extending Joe Schmidt’s losing streak to six successive fixtures.

After a hard‑fought first half that left Australia leading 21‑12, Fraser McReight’s two early tries proved decisive for the Wallabies, who also added a late effort from Jeremy Williams for a try‑bonus point.

The home side erupted after the break, with Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (on debut), Romain Ntamack, Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe all touching down as France outscored Australia 30‑5 in the second stanza.

Meafou reflected, “It’s awesome, we studied them all week and I think it was a challenge for us to come and play. Credit to the Wallabies. That was a tough first half.”

Australia captain Harry Wilson added, “We were very happy going in at half‑time… Then the big second half and we’re learning that you need to play a good 80 minutes. We keep losing moments and (allowing) a team like France to put on 30 unanswered points, it’s not good enough.”

Key moments included Meafou’s yellow card for a high tackle on Rob Valetini (upheld after review), Max Jorgensen being denied by Oscar Jegou before he could reach the try line, and a debut appearance for Declan Meredith at fly‑half. The referee was Karl Dickson (RFU). Australia next faces Italy next week in Schmidt’s final game before Les Kiss takes over, while France will travel to Tokyo to meet Japan in the southern‑hemisphere leg of the tournament.

Second‑Half Surge Seals France Victory

In the opening 20 minutes, Meafou’s early try gave France the lead, but McReight responded twice to swing the advantage to the Wallabies.

Grandidier Nkanang’s two tries on his debut, combined with scores from Ntamack, Verhaeghe and Attissogbe, turned the tide dramatically after the break.

Tom Wright’s yellow card allowed Ntamack to add a penalty, and Verhaeghe’s try effectively killed any Australian comeback hopes.

France’s 30‑point second‑half blitz not only secured the win but also marked their first victory in Brisbane since 1972, following a earlier loss to the All Blacks.

Line‑Ups and Personnel

Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen; Joseph‑Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau; Dylan Pietsch; Declan Meredith, Ryan Lonergan; Angus Bell, Josh Nasser, Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Canham, Jeremy Williams; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (capt). Replacements: Brandon Paenga‑Amosa, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou, Lachlan Shaw, Nick Champion de Despigny, Tate McDermott, Jock Campbell, Filipo Daugunu.

France: Matthieu Jalibert; Theo Attissogbe; Fabien Brau‑Boirie, Yoram Moefana; Aaron Grandidier Nkanang; Romain Ntamack, Maxime Lucu (capt); Moses Alo‑Emile, Peato Mauvaka, Demba Bamba, Florian Veraeghe, Emmanuel Meafou, Lenni Nouchi, Oscar Jegou, Marko Gazzotti. Replacements: Maxime Lamothe, Jefferson Poirot, Tevita Tatafu, Hugo Auradou, Tom Staniforth, Killian Tixeront, Nolann le Garrec, Kalvin Gourgues.

Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)