The Australian Under 20s have finished third in Pool C of the IRB Junior World Championship following a shock 31-7 loss to France at Cape Town Stadium early Wednesday morning (AEST).
In a game that could have boosted them into the crucial Top 4 rankings of the tournament, the Australians fell behind 14-7 by halftime and failed to recover.
The French ran in a further two converted tries and secured a penalty to control the second half and take the win.
The loss sees Australia finish third in their pool with only five points, which they secured in their opening 67-12 win over Scotland.
Argentina topped Pool C with 12 points and an undefeated record, while France enjoyed wins over Australia and Scotland to finish second with 11 points. Scotland rounded out the pool with two points, losing to all opponents.
In other Pools, Wales finished top of Pool A, ahead of New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa.
South Africa finished top of Pool B ahead of Ireland, England and Italy.
While all sides now compete in semi-finals, only the Top 4 ranked teams, Wales, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand, advance to compete for the IRB Junior World Championship trophy.
Australia will meet France again in the fifth-place semi-final at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town at 11:45pm (AEST) on Sunday 17 June.
Fox Sports will show Wales v New Zealand live at 1am (AEST) and Argentina v South Africa at 3am, both on Fox Sports 2HD and Fox Sports 2.
The final will be shown live at 2:30am (AEST) on Saturday 23 June on Fox Sports 2HD and Fox Sports 2.
Australia 7 – France 31
