The Wallabies’ year has ended with a 48-33 defeat against France, the first time an Australian team has failed to win a Test in Europe in 67 years.
The Test was played in freezing conditions in Paris, with the Wallabies now having to confront the bitter reality of also being the first team to lose ten Tests in a calendar year. There will be disappointment for the Wallabies, but also some slim hope in their refusal to give up at the Stade de France on a Spring tour where so little has gone right for them on the field.
The Wallabies attacked freely in the first half, scoring three tries through Angus Bell and a double for hooker Matt Faessler to leave the game at 19-19 and thoughts of another rare Parisian heist.
Ultimately, in the second half, two of the Wallabies’ bêtes noires returned, with a poor lineout and indiscipline costing them dearly in a Test they had opportunities to win. Despite tries from Max Jorgensen and Josh Nasser in the second half, the Wallabies were also thwarted by the stunning running ability of the French wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Nicolas Depoortere who finished with two tries each.
Captain Harry Wilson summed up a tough Test and a gruelling Spring tour the Wallabies are keen to move on from quickly amid criticism in Australia.
“As a tour it’s obviously quite a disappointing tour to be frank there,” Wilson said.
“It was really disappointing to not get the results (on tour), but I know as a group we kept working hard, kept training well, we prepped well.
“I just feel disappointed that we probably let our group down with the results. If there’s a lot of criticism back home, I’ve been trying not to look at that sort of stuff because it’s quite crippling if you keep looking at that.”
Before the game, the Stade de France was filled with flags and French songs being pumped out, but the crowd was silenced within two minutes with hooker Matt Faessler crashing over the line for his side’s first try. The Wallabies’ strong start was aided by a vital turnover at the ruck by Taniela Tupou with France inches from their try line, showing a willingness to work relentlessly in the icy conditions.
Ultimately, it wasn’t to last. Wallabies half back Jake Gordon’s chip kick cruelly bounced away from his teammates, and allowed star French winger Bielle-Biarrey to sprint through space and send over Depoortere over for a converted try.
The Wallabies played without shackles, almost as if they had nothing to lose, with free-flowing rugby in freezing conditions, with Angus Bell breaking through a gap and leaving the French defence in his tracks with a brilliant try to give a five-point lead.
The Wallabies’ vast improvements were countered by a major failing in the lineout that has lingered since their defeat in Ireland. The Wallabies had missed a strong attacking opportunity metres from the French line and minutes later, they missed their second throw, providing the French with a perfect attacking platform allowing Ramos to score his first try.
Bielle-Biarrey is one of the best players in world rugby and scored his side’s third try with a stunning piece of individual skill, chipping the ball, catching it and sprinting clear of the Wallabies’ defence.
Faessler got his second try of the night after the Wallabies turned down a kickable penalty and went for the corner and mauled over after a successful lineout. Captain Harry Wilson’s brave call after the setpiece previously faltered levelled the game going into halftime with Edmed kicking a difficult conversion from the corner.
The French indiscipline in the first half had earned them a yellow card, in the second half it was the Wallabies turn to get on the wrong side of referee Luke Pearce. A Ramos penalty opened the second half, with Depoortere getting his second try to extend France’s lead to eight points.
Max Jorgensen has endured a tough tour suffering from tonsillitis, but scored a brilliant try in Paris when his team badly needed it, sprinting through onto a delicate chip kick and diving just ahead of French arms to touch down. Edmed’s conversion from the corner shaved the French lead to just one point.
France took advantage of increasing Australian indiscipline again, with Julien Marchand powering to score over from a rolling maul. Bielle-Biarrey got his second try with a stunning piece of French running from their own 22 metre line, killing off the game and the season for the Wallabies
Replacement hooker Josh Nasser got a late consolation try for the Wallabies, but Maxime Lamothe cancelled it out to leave a scoreline that didn’t tell the full story of a Test that completes a Spring tour most of the Wallabies will be happy to consign to history.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt confirmed that he is keen to see out his contract, with the opportunity for revenge against Ireland, Italy and France in July in Australia.
“I was supposed to finish earlier and it would have been easy to finish earlier because I knew how tough this tour was going to be,” Schmidt said.
“But you don’t walk away from a group of men who are working this hard and leave them asunder. We’re just going to roll up our sleeves and we’re not finished yet.”