Wallabies' Disastrous European Tour Ends With Historic Defeat
The pressure on Australian rugby coach Joe Schmidt has intensified dramatically following his team's crushing 48-33 defeat to France in Paris, culminating in their worst European tour performance in over six decades.
The Wallabies have now endured a winless four-Test tour of Europe for the first time since 1958, marking one of the darkest periods in Australian rugby history. The loss against Les Bleus represents their tenth defeat in a single calendar year, another unwanted record never before seen in Wallabies history.
Schmidt's Dismal Record Under Scrutiny
Schmidt's winning percentage has now plummeted to just 39 percent, making him the second-worst performing Wallabies coach of 20 Tests or more in nearly sixty years. Only Dave Rennie's 36 percent return between 2020-2022 stands as more disappointing, and he was promptly dismissed by Rugby Australia following similarly poor results.
The New Zealand-born mentor now faces growing calls to step down despite being contracted until after the inaugural Nations Championship next July. His successor, Les Kiss, is already lined up to take over, leaving Schmidt with little more than a year to prepare the Wallabies for their home World Cup in 2027.
Speaking after the match, Schmidt made an emotional plea to Australian rugby supporters, stating: "We're disappointed we didn't finish with the victory that I know you would have all loved to see, but the players have made a heck of an effort."
He added: "There's 15 Tests in 22 weeks with the amount of travel I've had. I just admire the way they have dusted themselves off and gone again. And it wasn't for lack of effort tonight. A little bit more execution. They will get better. So please don't give up on them."
Promising Start Ends in Familiar Collapse
The match itself provided moments of hope for travelling Australian fans before ultimately following a familiar pattern of second-half disintegration. The Wallabies entered halftime locked at 19-19 with the reigning European champions, showing significant improvement from their previous insipid performances against England, Italy and Ireland.
Hooker Matt Faessler scored two tries while props Taniela Tupou and Angus Bell delivered powerhouse performances in the forward pack. Captain Harry Wilson provided inspirational leadership as the tourists threatened to pull off a shock victory against the highly-fancied French side.
However, the Wallabies once again proved to be a 60-minute outfit as France, inspired by electric winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, capitalised on Australia's disciplinary issues. The visitors conceded ten penalties in the second half alone, allowing Les Bleus to skip out to a match-winning 16-point lead late in the game.
The defeat carries significant consequences beyond immediate embarrassment. The Wallabies needed to win by 16 points to secure a top-six seeding for next month's 2027 World Cup draw. Instead, their 15-point loss means tournament hosts Australia now face the prospect of a sudden-death round-of-16 showdown against global heavyweights like South Africa, New Zealand, France, Ireland or England.
This disappointing conclusion to their European campaign stands in stark contrast to earlier moments of promise under Schmidt, including a dead-rubber victory over the British and Irish Lions and a memorable first win over world champion Springboks on South African soil since 1963.
