France secured their first victory over Australia in Brisbane since 1972 on Saturday, overcoming a nine-point halftime deficit to win 42-26 in the second round of the Nations Championship. The comeback marked Australia's sixth consecutive test loss as the Wallabies continue a troubling slide that's left the national team searching for answers.
Debutant winger Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored twice, including the crucial first try of the second half that ignited a devastating 30-point run. France trailed 21-12 at the break after Australia exploited a yellow card to Emmanuel Meafou, who'd been sin-binned for head-on-head contact with Australian backrower Rob Valentini. The incident highlighted ongoing concerns about player safety in the sport.
Australia's Disciplinary Problems Mount
Australia initially capitalized on France's discipline issues. Flanker Fraser McReight scored twice during Meafou's absence, both from close range. He also saved a try just before halftime when he beat a flying Matthieu Jalibert in a race for the ball into the in-goal. But the Wallabies couldn't maintain their advantage.
Brandon Paenga-Amosa had opened Australia's account in the ninth minute after a trick lineout move involving hooker Paenga-Amosa throwing to scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan at the front. Yet France responded each time, with Meafou scoring the opening try in the third minute and Grandidier-Nkanang beating rookie Australian flyhalf Duncan Meredith in the chase for Romain Ntamack's stab kick into the left corner from 30 meters out in the 18th.
France's Second-Half Dominance
Three tries in a seven-minute span turned the match decisively. Two came while Australian fullback Tom Wright sat in the sin bin for a yellow card, exposing the consequences of poor discipline. The burst started in the 49th when the French used numbers out wide and Jalibert kicked wide for an unmarked Grandidier-Nkanang to score in the corner.
Ntamack, whose return sparked the turnaround, delivered a solo try in the 52nd minute. He ran down the short side from about 22 meters out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle. Skipper Maxime Lucu converted. Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe also scored before Australia crossed for a late consolation try. France will travel to Tokyo to play Japan next week, while the Wallabies head to Perth to take on Italy, which is coming off losses to Japan and New Zealand.
New Zealand's Record-Breaking Day
New Zealand beat Italy 47-17 in Wellington on Saturday, remaining unbeaten after two rounds. Will Jordan scored three tries to become New Zealand's all-time leading try-scorer in tests with 50 in 56 matches. Josh Moorby came off the bench to make a live-wire debut on his birthday.
Italy opened the scoring with a try from center Tommaso Menoncello after an All Blacks turnover and denied New Zealand space and possession as the home team limped to halftime with a 14-10 lead. Jordan's first try came from a chip kick by Jordie Barrett and a skillful recovery by Leroy Carter in the 30th minute. Lock Sam Darry had responded to Italy's opener within five minutes.
Italy's Discipline Costs Them
New Zealand scored five tries and 33 points after halftime to make the win comfortable. Moorby broke off the left wing and combined with his Hurricanes teammate, scrumhalf Cam Roigard, to score two minutes after the resumption. He then won an intercept and went close to scoring before prop Ethan de Groot crashed over for a try in his 42nd test. Moorby later outpaced the cover defense to set up Jordan's second try, which equaled the All Blacks record set by Doug Howlett. Jordan had the record on his own when he scored his third try in the 54th minute from Barrett's quick thinking at a tapped penalty.
"I think back to when I was a kid practicing my chip and chase in the back yard. To think I'd be here today, it's hugely humbling," Jordan said. "I guess as a winger on the end of the chain I've been part of some great teams over the last seven years."
Italy captain Michele Lamaro said, "I think we started really well and we were putting them under pressure. They were trying to compete around the breakdown and we were really strong in that area. They came back on the field after halftime with another gear and we couldn't hold them."
Italy played much of the last quarter with 14 men after a yellow card against Niccolo Cannone for an attempted head butt on Roigard was upgraded to a red. In spite of the one-man disadvantage, Italy scored its second try through Leonardo Marin in the 57th minute. New Zealand also was reduced to 14 men when flyhalf Ruben Love, who was shown a yellow card in the second minute of last week's test against France, was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on in the 71st minute.
Backrower Anton Segner came on at halftime for his debut and became the first player born in Germany to play for the All Blacks. His parents flew from Frankfurt to be present for the occasion. Head coach Dave Rennie expressed concern about errors at both ends of the match as the All Blacks prepared to face Ireland next weekend in Auckland. Italy, which lost its opening Nations Championship match last week to Japan in Tokyo, will go to Perth to take on the struggling Wallabies.
Why This Matters:
Australia's sixth consecutive test loss raises serious questions about the national program's direction and the resources available to develop competitive teams. France's historic win in Brisbane after 54 years demonstrates what consistent investment in player development and coaching infrastructure can achieve. The ongoing discipline issues affecting multiple teams—yellow and red cards for dangerous play—underscore the urgent need for better player welfare standards and enforcement. New Zealand's continued dominance, even with errors, reflects institutional advantages that smaller rugby nations struggle to match. Italy's competitive first-half performance against New Zealand, despite ultimately falling short, shows what's possible when teams receive adequate support and preparation time.