France overrun 10-man Wallabies with 30-point second half to win Brisbane Test 42-26

France dismantled a 10-man Australia side with 30 unanswered second-half points to win 42-26 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, extending the Wallabies’ miserable run to nine defeats in their last ten Tests.

The result flattered the visitors after a competitive first half in which Australia had looked genuinely capable of an upset. Fraser McReight crossed twice to help the Wallabies build a 21-12 lead at the break, with France briefly reduced to 14 men following a yellow card to lock Emmanuel Meafou — the Queensland-raised forward who had opened the scoring in just the second minute before his dismissal changed the complexion of the half.

The second period told an entirely different story. France captain Maxime Lucu knocked over an early penalty to begin the comeback, and when Tom Wright was shown a yellow card, Les Bleus exploited the numerical advantage ruthlessly, piling on 27 more points while Australia were reduced to 14 men. Debutant wing Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang completed a double, and fly-half Romain Ntamack also crossed, as France turned a tight contest into a rout. Western Force skipper Jeremy Williams scored a consolation try for Australia with less than five minutes remaining.

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson was candid in his post-match assessment, acknowledging the pattern that has defined Australia’s recent Tests — strong first halves followed by second-half collapses against top-tier opposition.

“It was a very disappointing second half there. We put ourselves in a really good position that first half and there was plenty of confidence at half-time that we could go out there and do a job in the second half,” Wilson told reporters.

“We know that France won the Six Nations, they’re a bloody good team and to be leading them 21-12 at half-time, we put ourselves in a position to beat the best team in the Six Nations. But we need to be winning Test matches for our country — that’s what we’re here to do and we haven’t been doing that.”

Despite the defeat, Wilson insisted the group is close to converting promising performances into results. “We know we’re not far away from putting it together but we have to put it together next week,” he said.

The loss continues a difficult period for Australian rugby. Over the past fortnight the Wallabies have produced competitive first halves against two Six Nations heavyweights but have been unable to sustain that level for a full 80 minutes — a problem Wilson and head coach Joe Schmidt will need to solve quickly with another Test to come.