AUS
No.Name
2Tatafu Polota-Nau, H
8Wycliff Palu, -
3Sekope Kepu, P
5Rob Simmons, L
7Michael Hooper, FL
T
1James Slipper, P
6Scott Fardy, FL
9Nic White, SH
4Will Skelton, L
T
15Israel Folau, FB
T
2
14Adam Ashley-Cooper, W
13Tevita Kuridrani, C
12Matt To'omua, C
11Nick Cummins, W
10Bernard Foley, FH
4
2
Replacements
16Nathan Charles, -
17Scott Sio, -
18Laurie Weeks, -
19James Horwill, -
20Ben McCalman, -
21Nick Phipps, -
T
22Kurtley Beale, -
23Rob Horne, -

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Allianz Stadium
8:00 PM, June 20, 2014
Attendance: 43,188
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'39-13 End of half
81'39-13 End of half
81'39-13 End of second half
80'Siren goes and France shell the ball backwards from the lineout. Tremendous victory from France, and they'll be looking forwards to facing New Zealand in six weeks.
78'Folau shells another high ball under the posts after France launch an attacking bomb - an old-fashioned garryowen if you will - but Mathieu Bastareaud knocks on and Australia win the follwoing scrum before putting the ball out.
76'
75'Izzy Folau knocks on from the kick-off. Might be the first time I've seen him spill an aerial ball.
74'39-13 Try - Nick Phipps , Australia
73'Wallabies win this lineout and drive to 5m. Win the breakdown but another attack ends in a penalty for offside. Nick Phipps takes a quick tap and scores after catching France unawares. Lazy defence. No more than Australia deserve even if their second 40 hasn't matched the quality and execution of the first.
72'Wallabies win the scrum with the backs all lined up right. The ball foes left but threat fades and France penalised for offside at the scrum. Kick for the corner and another attacking lineout.
71'Strong scrum from Australia and France just shuffle the pill sideways under pressure before a slack forward pass to no-one from Mathieu Bastareaud.
71'Substitute on - Frederic Michalak , France
71'Player substituted - Remi Tales , France
71'Player substituted - Tevita Kuridrani , Australia
71'Substitute on - Rob Horne , Australia
69'Player substituted - Guilhem Guirado , France
69'Substitute on - Christopher Tolofua , France
69'Substitute on - Nathan Charles , Australia
69'Player substituted - Tatafu Polota-Nau , Australia
68'Lovely play from Australia and James Horwill busts a hole, but Tevita Kuridrani drops the ball from a lazy-looking showboat back-of-the-hand pass from Izzy Folau. Wallabies looking dangerous but equally they seem to have lost a little shape and structure, and Ewen McKenzie doesn't look best pleased on the sideline.
67'Kurtley Beale is looking really good in the No.12 spot. Inventive. And showing great acceleration to threaten and create holes in the line.
66'
66'34-13 Conversion - Maxime Machenaud , France
66'34-11 Try - Guilhem Guirado , France
65'Try France. Guilhem Guirado touches down after a driving maul from the lineout won at the back. Penny for your thoughts there, Ewen McKenzie!
64'Penalty Australia, and they kick for the corner. Big opportunity to set up a driving maul from 5m set-piece.
64'Player substituted - Wycliff Palu , Australia
64'Substitute on - Ben McCalman , Australia
63'Australia win the lineout on their line and go two-men out before clearing lines up towards 10m line.
62'France kick over the top but the bounce eludes Yann Huget who had only to collect the ball to score. When your luck's out ...
62'34-6 Conversion - Bernard Foley , Australia
61'Ewen McKenzie wants better discipline to increase pressure in final quarter. He'll want another 50-point scoreline.
61'32-6 Try - Michael Hooper , Australia
60'Kurtley Beale - one of the replacements - slices the French defence apart with a pass to Bernard Foley inside him; follow the play to collect a return pass and then feeds Michael Hooper to race away for the try.
60'Substitute on - Bernard le Roux , France
60'Player substituted - Alexandre Flanquart , France
59'Mathieu Bastareaud knocks-on after a France lineout, and the game is just losing a little momentum and rhythm as the replacements come on.
59'Substitute on - Louis Picamoles , France
59'Player substituted - Damien Chouly , France
59'Substitute on - Laurie Weeks , Australia
59'Player substituted - Sekope Kepu , Australia
59'Player substituted - Nic White , Australia
59'Substitute on - Nick Phipps , Australia
57'Another great bust from Wycliff Palu - who must rank highly in the Greg Growden Medal count on Monday - before good hands from Sekope Kepu keeps the attack going. But final pass from Izzy Folau goes straight into touch. Another mistake.
57'Substitute on - James Horwill , Australia
57'Player substituted - Will Skelton , Australia
56'Win the ball off the top at the back but spill the ball midfield in first-phase attack. Few too many handling errors creeping into home team's play right now.
55'France win the lineout again, this time legally, and clear their lines. Another lineout on France 22, and Australia will look to go again with a better result.
55'Substitute on - Kurtley Beale , Australia
55'Player substituted - Matt To'omua , Australia
54'France penalised and Bernard Foley puts the ball into the corner for an attacking lineout 7 metres from the line. France win the lineout, but illegally, and Foley puts the ball back into touch.
53'France spill the ball on attack and the Wallabies effect another turnover. Izzy Folau toes the ball ahead and Australia now deep in France 22 with France lineout. France take it quickly and attempt to counter, but Bernard Foley makes a key tackle to shut down the opportunity.
53'Player substituted - James Slipper , Australia
53'Substitute on - Scott Sio , Australia
51'Izzy Folau runs a clearing kick back but pass to Nick Cummins is poor, and a half-chance goes begging. Ewen McKenzie in sideline interview lamenting that players making things complicated. Got to do the simple things well, he says.
51'Player substituted - Fulgence Ouedraogo , France
51'Substitute on - Yannick Nyanga Kabasele , France
49'Maxime Machenaud snagged in possession behind a lineout, and the Wallabies effect a turnover and shift the ball wide through first phase to Izzy Folau on the left. Clearly still looking to attack.
48'Ewen McKenzie on the sideline wants the Wallabies to increase the tempo of their game. Feels they've gone into their collective shell a little in since Folau's second try.
48'Player substituted - Alexandre Menini , France
48'Substitute on - Thomas Domingo , France
48'Player substituted - Rabah Slimani , France
48'Substitute on - Vincent Debaty , France
47'France are trying to up the tempo but another loose carry leads to another turnover.
45'Wesley Fofana spills the ball but Nic White elects to kick in behind rather than shifting the ball wide, and Australia miss an opportunity. White has made a couple of poor decisions to kick, and a couple of poor kicks.
44'France continue to struggle for territory as they after tackled consistently behind the gain line. Offloads at the minute simply shifting the ball sidewards against solid defence with no holes.
44'Substitute on - Remi Lamerat , France
44'Player substituted - Hugo Bonneval , France
43'27-6 Conversion - Bernard Foley , Australia
42'25-6 Try - Israel Folau , Australia
41'Wonderful try after consistent possession once France had cleared kick-off, with Will Skelton dishing a lovely short ball to put Israel Folau into a gaping hole to run under the posts. Skelton looking as if he were born to play Test rugby.
41'France win the scrum (feed most definitely crooked) and put the ball into touch. That's half-time. Looking forward to more of the same in the second stanza.
41'+120-6 End of first half
40'20-6 Start of second half
39'Wycliff Palau is having a whale of a game. Makes a big bust in midfield round Mathieu Bastareaud but the opportunity comes to naught as Adam Ashley-Cooper drops the ball cold.
38'
36'France on attack after Australia drop the ball hard on attack, Wesley Fofana toeing the ball downfield after Kuridrani spilled the pill. Australia rushed in defence after a quick France lineout but they hold firm.
35'Wallabies putting amazing pressure on France in tight, putting them backward.
35'20-6 Penalty goal - Maxime Machenaud , France
34'Maxime Machenaud on target. France needed that badly. But they need far more also.
33'Penalty France after winning a lineout and effecting a driving maul, with Sekope Kepu pinged for joining the breakdown from the wrong side.
31'
29'France at last have a couple of phases and quick hands from Mathieu Bastareaud put Hugo Boneval in space, but Adam Ashley-Cooper tackles him into touch on the 22.
28'Australia attacking from deep in their own half from the kick-off, and they're either making ground in tight or threatening linebreaks wider out. At the minute only Wallabies mistakes are limiting their advantage.
28'20-3 Conversion - Bernard Foley , Australia
27'Bernard Foley slots the conversion from the sideline.
27'18-3 Try - Israel Folau , Australia
27'Yellow card - Rabah Slimani , France
26'Rabah Slimani given yellow card. Australia take a quick tap rather than going for goal, showing their intent. Israel Folau scores in the right corner after quick phase play, justifying the decision to tap and go. This could easily get ugly for France. Nice work from Nick Cummins and Rob Simmons in the lead-up. Good interchanges.
25'Australia attacking first phase through the backs after winning the lineout off the top at the back. Israel Folau involved twice in the phases before spilling the ball in contact, but touchie Wayne Barnes says Michael Hooper was tackled without the ball.
24'Penalty Australia with France pinged for failing to release tackled player, and Matt Toomua roosts the ball back into French territory.
23'Remi Tales clears downtown primarily because his forwards are being felled behind the gainline. Strong defence from the Wallabies forwards.
22'Australia put on a big push at the scrum and France are under pressure only for Rob Simmons to make a tackle without arms that relieves the pressure. Solid set-piece there from the Wallabies.
21'Australia are playing clinically, and they're making metres by bending the French defence almost at will.
20'Phases from Australia and Tatafu Polota-Nau makes a big midfield bust but move falters when Ni k Cummins loses the ball forward in contact.
19'Scrum Australia but we have a re-set as Sekope Kepu loses his feet. Australia win the re-set and involve Israel Folau on first phase.
18'Wesley Fofana collects short ball from a ruck but he is scythed in half and spills the ball.
18'13-3 Penalty goal - Bernard Foley , Australia
17'Bernard Foley on target over the black dot. Great work there from Michael Hooper, and the Wallabies have been excellent in the first quarter having had 83% possession.
16'Penalty Australia. Michael Hooper collected Dulin straight from the kick-off and the fullback fails to release.
16'10-3 Penalty goal - Brice Dulin , France
15'Dulin on target and France on the ledger.
14'Strong scrum from France and they win a penalty. Brice Dulin going for goal from halfway.
13'Poor engagement sees France penalised and Australia clear lines only to concede lineout penalty after clearance because of numbers. France pick scrum halfway rather than kicking for another lineout.
12'
11'France win the breakdown and clear deep inside Australian territory. Australia spill lineout and France awarded scrum inside Australia 22.
10'Rob Simmons wins the lineout before Will Skelton bends the line in midfield. He's made a strong start.
10'10-0 Conversion - Bernard Foley , Australia
9'Australia collect the kick-off and go through possession before kick either way sees them with a lineout on French 10m.
8'8-0 Try - Will Skelton , Australia
7'Try Australia. Will Skelton powers over from 5m on debut to cap an amazing spell of possession from the Wallabies. How do you stop a 140kg man from such a distance? Initially lateral movement but showed patience and kept clearing out breakdown. Good start for Australia. More of the same please.
6'Israel Folau involved on the left and half breaks the line to expectant cheers.
5'Wallabies maintain possession through phases but a little lateral without structure.
4'Will Skelton wins a lineout almost without jumping, and the Wallabies spin the ball left and right before spilling the ball backwards.
3'Penalty France. Scott Fardy did not release the ball in contact after collecting the kick-off. Maxime Machenaud slices his kick and it hits the right post.
3'3-0 Penalty goal - Bernard Foley , Australia
2'Penalty Australia. France not rolling away from the tackle of Tevita Kuridrani. Straight in front about 35m from goal. Bernard Foley on target and Australia on the board early.
1'We're under way with Remi Tales kicking off for France. Deep straight to Nic White, who roosts the pill back to the French 10m on the left touchline. Australia win the lineout though a France knock-on.
1'Hello everyone, and welcome to our live commentary of the third and final Test between Australia and France at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The Wallabies hold an unassailable 2-0 lead and are chasing a series sweep, while France are hoping to go home with something to show for their efforts. We have beautiful weather in Sydney for the rarity of an afternoon Test - mid 20s Celsius and bright sunshine - and we're hoping, from an entertainment, point of view, for a Test more like that in Brisbane than Melbourne. There's no excuses not to turn it on. And the Wallabies have a real reason to turn it on today: Ewen McKenzie turns 49. Happy birthday Link. Earlier, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, right next door to Allianz Stadium (Sydney Football Stadium, to the traditionalists) the little tackers enjoyed their rugby. Wallabies captain Michael Hooper tells George Gregan that the team released pressure too easily in Melbourne. He wants a stronger effort this weekend. John Eales, meanwhile, says the re-introduction of Wycliff Palu will get the team over the advantage line more easily. Wonderful sight at Allianz Stadium: bumper crowd building, and the Australian Rugby Union has been rewarded for its decision to stage the Test on Saturday afternoon - a time plenty of fans prefer.
1'0-0 Start of first half