France v Australia preview: Les Bleus to put on a show against struggling Wallabies

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Gabin Villiere for France and Mark Nawaqanitawase for Wallabies.

Gabin Villiere for France and Mark Nawaqanitawase for Wallabies.

A bumper weekend of Rugby World Cup warm-up action is rounded off by host nation France taking on the struggling Wallabies at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Few expect anything but a home triumph in Paris as Australia’s woes are likely to continue, with many predicting a fifth successive loss for Eddie Jones.

That would mean a disastrous start to Jones’ second tenure at the helm, but such is their pool and favourable side of the draw, morale could quickly change.

It still baffles how lopsided the Rugby World Cup will be next month as two of the top four teams on the World Rugby rankings will crash out at the quarter-final stage, while two of Australia (eighth), Fiji (ninth) and Wales (tenth) are poised to make it into the last eight. Thankfully this scenario won’t happen again.

That means though that the Wallabies are more than capable of going deep in the competition so progress of any sort against Les Bleus will be a positive to build on as they go into the tournament. Combinations and confidence will be the objective on Sunday as they have nothing to lose against a superior side.

Indeed, France are in a different bracket at the moment and should prove too strong in Paris, with Fabien Galthie’s men looking for a victory that would send them and their supporters into the Rugby World Cup with a spring in their step, with that box office opener against the All Blacks within touching distance.

Where the game will be won

France’s power game, in particular their back five, should prove too strong for the Wallabies and if, as expected, they get front-foot ball then that is the green light to Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert to unleash their talents and those outside them, who could have a field day in front of an excitable crowd.

It promises to be a wonderful atmosphere at the Stade de France and even if Australia can defend for their lives for a period, eventually the dam will break.

Last time they met

What they said

Wallabies head coach Jones is pleased with what he has seen from his squad ahead of Sunday’s game and is relishing the test that awaits his players in Paris.

“We’ve had an impressive preparation for the Rugby World Cup this week. Improving our physical capacity has been a priority and our rugby fitness is rapidly improving and we will look to use it against France,” he said.

“To play against the tournament hosts in front of a massive crowd at the venue for the Final is perfect preparation for us.

“We are a young side, who is ambitious and in the process of developing our game.”

Players to watch

Following the unfortunate injury to star fly-half Romain Ntamack, all eyes have been on who will step up for France in the number 10 shirt. Last week against Fiji it was Antoine Hastoy given his chance but on Sunday it is Matthieu Jalibert‘s opportunity to impress and we expect him to shine in this meeting.

Alongside him is the irresistible force that is Antoine Dupont, who returns to the team and leads a fully loaded XV and will no doubt cause Australia plenty of problems. With a pack as well balanced and dynamic as Les Bleus possess, if both Jalibert and Dupont hit top gear both are set for quality outings.

Some interesting selections have been made by Jones as he keeps Marika Koroibete in cotton wool ahead of the Rugby World Cup, which gives an opportunity for Suliasi Vunivalu to redeem himself. It was an underwhelming performance from the latter against the Springboks in Pretoria so he will be desperate to bounce back this weekend, but that won’t be easy against such formidable opposition that includes facing off against the outstanding finisher, Damian Penaud.

It’s also going to be an interesting watch seeing how captain Will Skelton fares against plenty of familiar faces on French soil. Skelton, whose form with La Rochelle has been excellent in recent years, goes toe-to-toe with club-mates and Top 14 rivals this weekend and he’ll need to lead from the front.

Main head-to-head

There’s plenty of battles catching the eye in Paris so picking out a couple was a difficult task and led to us opting for the collective in one of our calls. The back-row tussle could prove significant in how the game plays out as France have one of the best in the business in Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon and Gregory Alldritt, with Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini having their work cut out this weekend and we expect high tackle counts from the trio.

Behind them there’s also ample tussles that excite but we expect to hear the names Gabin Villiere and Mark Nawaqanitawase frequently, with both prominent ball carriers and workhorses for their respective team. Villiere is a key cog in this French backline and his return to fitness has been a massive boost ahead of their charge for World Cup glory, while it’s pleasing to see Nawaqanitawase’s quality being realised after he was initially left out by Jones.

Prediction

While games between these two sides are often closely-fought affairs, that might be about to change this weekend as we expect Les Bleus to put on a show ahead of their home tournament. Australia, without Koroibete and Samu Kerevi, might struggle to live with their hosts as we predict France to win by 15 points.

Previous results

2022: France won 30-29 in Paris
2021: Australia won 33-30 in Brisbane
2021: France won 28-26 in Melbourne
2021: Australia won 23-21 in Brisbane
2016: Australia won 25-23 in Paris
2014: France won 29-26 in Paris
2014: Australia won 39-13 in Sydney
2014: Australia won 6-0 in Melbourne
2014: Australia won 50-23 in Brisbane

The teams

France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Sebastien Taofifenua, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Paul Boudehent, 22 Baptiste Couilloud, 23 Melvyn Jaminet

Australia: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Suliasi Vunivalu, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton (c), 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements: 16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Langi Gleeson, 22 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 23 Ben Donaldson

Date: Sunday, August 27
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick off: 17:45 local (16:45 BST, 15:45 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup: Picking all 20 teams’ Most Valued Player ahead of the tournament

Australia