French push Wallabies to the wire
June 29, 2002

France staged a fantastic second half fightback before going down to Australia in the Second Test 31-25 at Stadium Australia.

And as the Wallabies clung on in the dying moments, France made opne final counter attack only for No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy to mishandle the ball just yards from the line.

This Test was a far cry from last week's dour affair in Melbourne with flowing attack rugby to thrill the 64,000-strong crowd.

The Wallabies held a 13-5 lead shortly before half-time, only for France to strike back to snatch an 18-13 lead six minutes after the break.

But as they have in the past, the Wallabies responded superbly with an 18-point burst in 13 minutes to retake the lead 31-18 with just under 20 minutes remaining.

France rediscovered the renowned flair that had deserted them in Melbourne and ensured an exciting finish when winger Aurelien Rougerie crossed in the 76th minute for his second try and reduce the Wallabies' lead to 31-25.

But the Wallabies would not be denied in an encouraging display ahead of the opening Tri Nations clash against the All Blacks in Christchurch in two weeks.

They scored four tries to three and led 13-8 at half-time. Wallaby coach Eddie Jones ran his entire bench and has a few tough decisions ahead following several impressive individual performances.

But the stumble midway through the game when France snatched a five-point lead will certainly give the Wallabies something to work on at training. It came after flanker Owen Finegan was sent to the sinbin in the 38th minute.

Up to that point the Wallabies had complete control of the game with tries to winger Stirling Mortlock and an opportunist try to outside-centre Matt Burke. The Wallabies deserved their 13-0 lead after 30 minutes after holding all the possession and providing all the attack.

But France struck back through a try to Rougerie after a smart kick ahead by fullback Nicolas Brusque in the 33rd minute. Five-eighth Gerald Merceron added a penalty to close the gap to 13-8 at half-time and reduced it to just two points with a further penalty immediately after the break.

And when prop Sylvain Marconnet scored in the 46th minute France had snatched an 18-13 lead.

France looked the superior side at this stage, but the Wallabies managed to level at 18-all through a superb team try to inside-centre Daniel Herbert in the 50th minute.

Mortlock added a penalty and Wallaby captain George Gregan his first dropped-goal to push the lead out to 24-18. Mortlock was then on the end of a bustling charge by Finegan to give the Wallabies what seemed a match-winning 31-18 lead in the 63rd minute.

But France showed why they are the Six Nations champions with a memorable comeback and proved their status as one of the great entertainers of world rugby.

There were plenty of top performances by the Wallabies with Herbert again looking like he had played inside-centre all his life. France also showed the dangers of kicking straight down the throat of Wendell Sailor, who continues to improve with every outing. In the forwards, Finegan played his best game for some time while David Lyons was an ideal replacement for the injured Toutai Kefu.

Australia - Tries, Mortlock 2, Herbert, Burke. Conversions, Mortlock 1 con 1 pen, Burke 1 pen, Gregan field goal.

France - Tries, Rougerie 2, Marconnet. Conversions, Merceron 2 cons 2 pens

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