​BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang crossed twice and Romain Ntamack steered France’s comeback as the French rallied to beat Australia 42-26 in the second round of the rugby Nations Championship on Saturday. France had the lead twice in the first half but trailed 21-12 at the break as the Wallabies benefited from a one-man advantage during Emmanuel Meafou’s 10-minute yellow card spell, using it to score two tries.
The momentum shifted dramatically in a seven-minute burst for the visitors, who produced three tries, including two while Australian fullback Tom Wright was suspended for a yellow card. The defending Six Nations champions dominated after halftime, scoring 30 unanswered points and showcasing a commanding performance that featured Grandidier-Nkanang, Ntamack, Florian Verhaeghe, and Theo Attissogbe crossing the chalk. Australia managed a consolation try in the 76th minute as the clock wound down.
France now heads to Tokyo to face Japan next week. The Wallabies, after their 33-31 loss to Ireland in the opening round and the heavy defeat to France, will travel to Perth, Western Australia, to confront Italy in an attempt to snap a six-test losing streak.
Meafou, who grew up in Australia before moving to France to pursue a professional contract, was at the center of an eventful first half. He opened the scoring in the third minute and also earned a yellow card. Australia equalized six minutes later through a trick lineout sequence that started with hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa flinging to scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan, who returned the pass and finished the move with a score.
France briefly retook the lead in the 18th minute when Grandidier-Nkanang beat rookie Australian flyhalf Duncan Meredith in the chase for Ntamack’s perfectly weighted stab kick into the left corner from 30 meters out. The 25th-minute sequence saw Meafou carded for head-on-head contact with Australian back rower Rob Valentini, allowing the Wallabies more space to attack. Fraser McReight took advantage of the one-man advantage to score twice in about ten minutes, both from close range. The Australian flanker also spared a try right before halftime by beating Matthieu Jalibert in a race to the ball into the in-goal area.
The second half told a different story. France surged from the outset, using width to create opportunities and capitalizing with a try in the 49th minute when Grandidier-Nkanang found space on the wing after Jalibert’s kick went to the outside. Ntamack then delivered a pivotal moment with a solo score in the 52nd minute, running from roughly 22 meters out along the short side, faking, offloading a palm to a defender, and crashing over under the posts, with Maxime Lucu adding the conversion to push France ahead.
From there, France maintained the pressure, turning their possession and territorial dominance into points and extending their lead beyond Australia’s reach. The French continued to press, converting opportunities into tries and maintaining sustained control as the match wore on. The result underscored France’s resilience and their ability to rebound from a close defeat to New Zealand in their tournament opener.
France’s victory sets them up for a competitive battle in the next round as they travel to Japan, while Australia heads to Perth for a test against Italy, looking to halt a troubling streak and regain footing ahead of further fixtures.