Wallabies v France AS IT HAPPENED: Aussies pumped in second-half collapse

That concludes nine.com.au’s live coverage of the Wallabies’ second Nations Championship Test against France.

If last weekend’s loss to Ireland was heartbreaking, this one to France was frustrating. The Wallabies outclassed by a far better opponent in the second half.

We’ll be back next week for the final Test of Joe Schmidt’s tenure, against Italy in Perth next weekend.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt reckons the Wallabies started to go downhill when Tom Wright was sent to the bin.

And it wasn’t even the fact they were a man down and the French made the most of the overlaps – he believes they just weren’t playing well enough.

“We kept the ball in play, kicked to them, and not well,” he told Justin Harrison on Nine and Stan Sport’s coverage.

“They didn’t need too many invitations to either open us up through the middle, or on the edge, or get ball in behind us that we were scrambling to get back to.

“We’ve had two good first halves (last week against Ireland and tonight), but what we can’t do is not stay in the second half.

“Some of it, I’ll look at how hard guys are working. I know they’re trying to work hard, but if you’re not working accurate, if we’re over chasing things, we haven’t got numbers on feet …

“I felt sometimes we kicked poorly, or we forced a pass and coughed it up, and then we were chasing them.”

But Schmidt was full of praise for Declan Meredith, who was thrown into the deep end at No.10 after Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson were both ruled out with calf injuries.

“I’d love to get a bit of continuity in the halves … very tough night for Declan up against two world-class 10s playing 10 and 15 in the opposition. A real baptism of fire for him,” he said.

“He acquitted himself really well in the first half, and he was starting to flag (in the second) and we put Jock (Campbell) in there. He’s a fullback, a part-time 10, and that’s very tough for Jock as well.”

Next week’s clash against Italy will be the last of Schmidt’s Wallabies tenure, and he flagged he will likely make some changes.

“We’ll have a look at how we can put the best team we can together for next week and at the same time, probably freshen things up a little bit because there’s some pretty tired boys after tonight,” he said.

Skipper Harry Wilson was far from impressed with his side’s second half performance too.

“We put ourselves in a great position there to have a big second half … (but) you need to play a good 80 minutes. We’re losing moments, and we keep losing moments,” he said in the presentation.

“France put 30 unanswered points on us, and it’s not good enough.

“We had some really good patches there. Obviously, our set piece is doing well, but we need everything working together to win these Test matches against the best teams in the world. It’s not good enough.

“With 52,000 Australian supporters here, it means so much to us. And then we let them down, let ourselves down a second half like that, we’re gutted, we’re hurting, and we’re going to keep improving.

“We need to get results. Talk’s cheap. We’ve just got to get results for you.”

The Wallabies were simply outclassed by the French at Suncorp, and they know it.

They were fantastic in the second half, and not so in the second.

“It’s a game of two halves – we’ve got to be better there,” Brandon Paenga-Amosa told Matt Burke on Nine’s coverage.

“You know France, they’re a tough outfit. A world-class rugby team. You give them space, they’ll take it. We’ve got to be better there, though.

“Credit to France, obviously, but we’ll go back to the drawing boards and look to put a performance for next week in Perth.

“Disappointed with the loss, but we’ll regroup and come back stronger next week. We’ve got to be consistent for 80 minutes and that’s what it comes down to.

In commentary for Stan Sport and Nine, Morgan Turinui said Paenga-Amosa put in a “good shift”, but the Wallabies were “not good enough across the board”.

The Wallabies take on Italy in Perth next Saturday night.

That’s fulltime at Suncorp Stadium as France post their first Nations Championship win with a 42-26 comeback win over Australia.

They scored 30 unanswered points in the second half before Jeremy Williams’ late consolation try.

“A second half masterclass. For the first time in 60 years France win four in a row against Australia,” Sean Maloney says on Stan.

Lock Jeremy Williams scores a consolation try for Australia with a driving effort from close range.

France’s lead is cut to 42-26 after 77 minutes.

They are the Wallabies’ first points of the second half.

They led 21-12 at halftime before France scored the next 30 points unanswered.

Théo Attissogbe gets his try after all!

It was a slick backline move from a midfield scrum as Kalvin Gourgues slices through the Wallabies and feeds his right-winger.

France lead 42-21 and Australia have no answer.

That was very nearly another, but France’s try to Théo Attissogbe has been ruled out for a forward pass thrown by Matthieu Jalibert.

It was very close.

France lead 34-21 after 61 minutes.

The wheels have fallen off for the Wallabies and Tom Wright is still in the bin.

France lock Florian Verhaeghe is the latest try-scorer and just like that they lead 34-21 after 58 minutes.

“France have caught fire,” Sean Maloney says.

“And the Wallabies have provided the kindling,” Morgan Turinui finishes.

Alarm bells here for the Wallabies as the classy Romain Ntamack fires France in front.

The No.10 spotted James Slipper in the defensive line and skinned him easily.

France lead 27-21.