France pulled off an unbelievable second-half comeback today, dropping 30 unanswered points on Australia to secure a 42-26 victory and condemn Joe Schmidt's Wallabies to their sixth successive defeat. What a turnaround, especially after last week's dramatic loss for Australia against Ireland.
Wallabies Dominate Early, France Takes a Hit
Man, the first half looked like a completely different game! Emmanuel Meafou crashed over for France's opening try just three minutes in, but then things got wild. Australia, still stinging from that late Ireland loss, responded with some serious grit. Brandon Paenga-Amosa crossed, and even after Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, the London-born former Olympic sevens gold medal winner, scored a superb try on his France debut, the momentum swung hard. Meafou got yellow carded for a high tackle on Rob Valetini, and even an off-field bunker review couldn't save him. You could feel France's absence when Fraser McReight absolutely went off, touching down twice in eight minutes. Australia was up 21-12 at the break, and honestly, they looked unstoppable. Max Jorgensen even got denied a try when Oscar Jegou pushed him into touch, and McReight denied Matthieu Jalibert in a frenetic end to the half.The Second Half Tidal Wave That Crushed Australia's Hopes
Whatever France said at halftime, it worked. They came out like a completely different team. Matthieu Jalibert, starting at full-back for the first time, turned playmaker and kicked into the corner for Grandidier Nkanang's second try of the game. Then it was a full-blown assault. Romain Ntamack put France ahead 27-21 right after Australia's Tom Wright picked up a yellow card. Florian Verhaeghe crashed over to absolutely crush any hope of a Wallabies comeback. Theo Attissogbe was even denied one try by a forward pass, but he wasn't to be denied for long, getting one himself later. France just moved through the gears, outscoring Australia 30-5 in that devastating second-half display. Meafou himself nailed it, saying, "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. We knew they weren't going to go away, but we got some good tries in the second half." That's the real talk right there. This win isn't just a comeback; it's France's first victory in Brisbane since 1972, and their fourth consecutive against Australia. Jeremy Williams' late score gave Australia a try bonus point, which is some consolation, but it can't hide the pain of a sixth successive loss. Australia now faces Italy next week, which will be Joe Schmidt's final game in charge before Les Kiss takes over. France, on the other hand, just bounced back from a tough loss to the All Blacks last week and will take on Japan in Tokyo to wrap up their Nations Championship southern hemisphere leg. Keep an eye on France, because after a second half like that, they're not messing around.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.