Rugby: France beat Wallabies in dying stages to win 11th straight test

Damian Penaud of France scores the match-winner against the Wallabies. Photo / Getty

Winger Damian Penaud’s late try rallied France to beat Australia 30-29 and notch a national record 11th straight win this morning.

Australia had just opened a four-point lead through relentlessly accurate penalty kicking with five minutes to go, leaving France needing a last-gasp try at Stade de France. It came with three minutes left.

Silky first-five replacement Mathieu Jalibert kept his cool to pick out Penaud with a long cut-out pass. Penaud stepped inside opposite Tom Wright, fended off Wallabies fullback Jock Campbell and dived into the right corner for France to scrape past the last team to beat them, in July last year.

Centre Lalakai Foketi and Campbell grabbed their first test tries for Australia against a France side lacking their usual initiative, until they woke up with a late burst.

Heartbreak for the Wallabies.

France steal a Test in Paris, winning 30-29.

A late try from Damian Penaud sees France claim their 11th straight win.

Encouraging signs from the Wallabies. But another game they couldn’t quite mail at the death.

— Christy Doran (@ChristypDoran) November 5, 2022

Defeat was harsh on the Wallabies, who controlled large parts of the match.

“We had trouble the whole game. But we got the win and it’s important to win in different ways,” France captain Antoine Dupont said. “We lacked control and it almost cost us dearly.”

France’s 11-game win beats their national record from the 1930s. The streak includes a first Six Nations Grand Slam in 12 years and a 2-0 series win in Japan in July.

Coach Dave Rennie’s Wallabies led 13-6 midway through the first half, thanks to a pair of Bernard Foley penalties and a splendid length-of-the-field try finished by Foketi, after Wright beat Penaud on the outside and fed Foketi inside to run to the posts.

France fullback Thomas Ramos pegged Australia back to 13-12 with his fourth successful penalty and, in first-half stoppage time, Les Tricolores showed what opportunism means by taking the lead for the first time.

Centre Gael Fickou kicked ahead from midfield and hooker Julien Marchand benefited from a counter ruck to nudge over for a converted try, putting Fabien Galthie’s side up 19-13.

Foley and Ramos traded more penalties after the restart before Australia enjoyed a strong phase of possession culminating in Campbell burrowing into the corner on his first start. Foley slotted the extras, and his penalty in front of the posts extended the lead to 26-22 with 15 minutes left.

France still looked patchy at this stage, choosing an attacking lineout soon after but fluffing it with a knock-on.

Ramos didn’t waste the next penalty when he continued his clinical kicking with a 40-metre effort, making it a one-point game with eight minutes left.

But Australia responded in kind, as they did all game, and Foley’s replacement, Reece Hodge, landed a tough kick from wide left to leave France needing a try.

Penaud obliged.

France host World Cup winner South Africa next Sunday and Australia travel to play Italy.

- AP