Australia's rugby team suffered a 42-26 defeat to France at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, marking their sixth consecutive loss—the worst losing streak for the Wallabies in a decade. The result also extended their winless start to the Nations Championship, leaving head coach Joe Schmidt facing a difficult final Test next week against Italy.
Both teams entered the match stinging from narrow defeats the previous week, and the intensity was evident from the opening whistle. France struck first when Emmanuel Meafou, a 145kg Brisbane-born wrecking ball, powered over from close range after a high tackle penalty wiped out a promising Australian attack. France led 7-0.
Australia Fight Back to Take Half-Time Lead
Australia responded quickly after hooker Josh Nasser left the field for a head injury assessment. His replacement, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, made an immediate impact by finishing a well-worked lineout move to level the scores at 7-7. Despite errors, Australia regained momentum when Tom Wright's 50-22 kick set up field position. France's Meafou was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle, and Australia capitalised with Fraser McReight scoring twice—the second from a dominant maul—to take a 21-12 lead into half-time.
Second-Half Collapse
France came out firing after the break. Maxime Lucu kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit, then set up a try for Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang after a break by Yoram Moefana. Romain Ntamack then outpaced Ryan Lonergan to score and reclaim the lead at 27-21. France continued to pile on pressure, with Grandidier-Nkanang and Matthieu Jalibert combining for a 70-metre counter-attack that sent Florian Verhaeghe over. A forward pass saved Australia temporarily, but France's Théo Attissogbe eventually crashed over to make it 42-21.
Consolation Try Not Enough
Australia scored a late consolation try, but the damage was done. The Wallabies have now lost nine of their last 10 Tests and face Italy in Perth next week. If they lose, Schmidt will depart as a loser, and a new era under Les Kiss cannot come soon enough for Australian rugby.
