Les Bleues have tasted victory over the Wallaroos for the first time since 2017, a try at the death seeing the hosts overcome a 19-point deficit and six cards to win 29-26 in Aix-en-Provence.
It was a match that truly had everything, with the hosts having to overcome a player advantage and a delayed start to the second half courtesy of a fire breaking out outside the stadium.
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Les Bleues made their modus operandi clear from the get-go, with rush defence and a desire to go wide quickly with the ball in hand and run the visitors off their feet.
After both sides conceded attacking chances early, France looked primed to get on the board through their scrum, only for some outstanding last-gasp defence from Amelia Whittaker and Caitlyn Halse to deny the hosts over the line.
The scramble defence proved strong from the Wallaroos, building into the game and finding success through direct running from Halse and Desiree Miller and well-structured support play.
Sustained pressure saw France concede four penalties in quick succession, with Ambre Mwayembe sent to the bin for a high tackle; the Wallaroos were rewarded in the 17th minute through the rolling maul, Brittany Merlo coming up with the try.
Les Bleues looked to counterattack quickly through Emilie Bolard; however, the Wallaroos' scramble defence proved effective, and the afternoon got harder for the hosts when Lea Champon was sent to the bin for a second dangerous tackle.
In the 23rd minute, things went pear-shaped for the hosts, their discipline backfiring spectacularly to the boos of the crowd.
Reduced to 1 with Lea Murie sent for yet another high tackle, Cloe Correa was then sent off for eye gouging in a rolling maul, with Mwayembe’s earlier tackle upgraded to a 20-minute red card in the same stoppage time.
With a four-player advantage, the Australians pounced with Naden scoring off the maul shortly afterwards, the visitors having their third six minutes later, using the numerical advantage with Halse the benefactor.
France regained Champon and Correa, the hosts opting to go for a more direct approach, breaking through with two minutes remaining on the clock, looking to go quickly and find success through speed, Anais Grando the beneficiary of a long-range effort.
The first score set the hosts in motion, and with momentum on their side, Bolard netted the French their second quickly in what would prove a critical score with the clock red, the score 19-12 at halftime.
After an extended break due to a fire outside the stadium, the second half proved just as dramatic as the first, with the opening ten minutes a seesawing affair and the next score proving critical.
However, the visitors struck, with a sustained build-up leading to Piper Duck's 50th-minute try to extend the margin to two converted tries.
France went direct, and it proved effective; the hosts cut the margin back to seven before Elisa Riffonneau knocked the ball over the line, thanks to a timely tackle by Georgina Friedrichs.
However, the French wouldn’t be denied four minutes later, Les Bleues attacking around the blindside with skipper Pauline Bordon Sansus scoring her side’s third of the afternoon.
Momentum continued to build for the French when Michaela Leonard was sent to the bin for a high tackle, the hosts injecting a flurry of fresh legs on the hour mark to try and find the equalising try.
The Australians, however, returned fire with the introduction of Tabua Tuinakauvadra and Eva Karpani, momentum swinging back in favour of the visitors with Charlotte Escudero being sent for ten for a high tackle, the seventh card of the game.
The visitors had the chance to extend their lead, however, Tania Naden knocked the ball on after a sustained maul: a moment that would prove critical in the match, with consecutive errors shortly afterwards seeing the French back up the field.
France turned to their maul, and in the 68th minute scored through Riffonneau, Australia’s lead now cut to two points as the final ten minutes began.
In the 75th minute, the sustained pressure from the French proved too much, with Teani Feleu crashing over in the corner to give France the lead for the first time; however, the missed conversion saw the lead just three points heading into the closing stages.
The Wallaroos looked to attack in what would be their final roll of the dice, but a critical penalty for Gabrielle Vernier for holding on kept France in the game and produced a clutch win over adversity.
France 29 (Tries: Grando, Boland, Bourdon Sansus, Riffonneau, Feleu. Cons: Arbez 1/3, Queyroi 1/2.) def Wallaroos 26 (Tries: Merlo, Naden, Halse, Duck. Cons: Wood 3/4.)
