A sold-out Suncorp Stadium had plenty to cheer about in the first half.
The Wallabies recovered from an early setback to lead France 21-12 at the break, with Fraser McReight scoring twice and the home crowd sensing Australia could build on last week’s encouraging display against Ireland.
Instead, France produced a clinical second-half performance, scoring 30 points after halftime to secure a 42-26 victory in Round 2 of the Nations Championship on Saturday night.
Wallabies Capitalise Before The Break
France struck first when Emmanuel Meafou crashed over from close range after just two minutes. Maxime Lucu converted for a 7-0 lead.
Australia’s plans were disrupted almost immediately when hooker Josh Nasser left the field with a head injury after only a few minutes. Brandon Paenga-Amosa entered the contest earlier than expected and made an immediate impact.
The replacement hooker barged over in the 10th minute before Ryan Lonergan converted to reduce the margin to two.
France responded through debutant Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, who won the race to a clever Romain Ntamack kick. Lucu’s conversion drifted wide, leaving the visitors ahead 12-7.
The momentum shifted in the 24th minute.
Meafou was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Rob Valetini, and Australia made the extra player count. McReight crossed from close range before adding a second from a driving maul seven minutes later. Lonergan converted both tries as the Wallabies took a deserved 21-12 lead into halftime.
France Find Another Gear
France began the second half with far greater control.
Lucu narrowed the margin with a penalty before Tom Wright was sent to the sin bin, giving the visitors another advantage they did not waste.
Grandidier-Nkanang scored his second try after gathering a well-weighted attacking kick before Ntamack sliced through the Wallabies’ defence to put France in front.
Florian Verhaeghe added another try after sustained pressure, Lucu continued to add points from the tee, and Theo Attissogbe finished a slick backline movement to stretch the lead beyond reach.
Jeremy Williams scored late for Australia after the Wallabies worked the ball deep into French territory, but France comfortably closed out the match.
Brisbane Crowd Left Disappointed
Three days after Suncorp Stadium hosted the State of Origin decider, another capacity crowd turned out hoping to see the Wallabies bounce back from last week’s defeat to Ireland.
Queensland captain Harry Wilson led a side featuring several Queensland Reds, while McReight was Australia’s standout with two tries and Paenga-Amosa made an immediate impact after replacing the injured Nasser.
Australia showed enough in the opening 40 minutes to trouble one of the world’s leading sides. After the break, however, France were more composed with the ball, made the most of their opportunities and finished the stronger team to leave Brisbane with an important away victory.
Published 11-July-2026
