Wallabies score unimaginative win over France

11:26pm - By COLIN KENNEDY

Australia eked out a 29-17 victory against an uninspiring French team at the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Failure by the visitors to secure quality ball and a lack of the feared French counter-attack on the night allowed a solid Australian team to take home the points.

France's Damaien Traille drew first blood with a penalty, followed by a penalty from the reliable Mathew Burke.

Australia's Stirling Mortlock and Chris Latham provided most of the evening's excitement when they combined for some superb running that eventually put Latham over the French line to give the Aussies a 10-3 lead after Burke converted.

Another penalty went the way of the Wallabies before Traille and Francoise Gelez kicked penalties of their own to keep France in the hunt at 9-13.

A soft try from Australian first-five-eighth Stephen Larkham; Burke's conversion and a penalty minutes later put the home side into a 23-9 lead.

Gelez kicked off the secondhalf for France with a penalty to make it 12-33 before another two penalties from Burke allowed the Australians to push ahead at 29-12.

The French finished off a messy and disappointing second half for both teams when substitute Jean Baptist Roux scored in the last ten minutes from a fine drive by the French forwards.

Gelez failed to convert and the more than 37,000 strong crowd were left to entertain themselves with a vocal countdown to the final whistle.