Player ratings: Allez les Bleus
France delivered a quality all-round performance to defeat the Wallabies 33-6 in Paris – their first victory over Australia since 2005.
The home side scored the only two tries of the match to secure an ultimately comfortable victory, but it was their defence that was perhaps most impressive as they kept the Wallabies on the back foot.
Having grabbed the ascendency up front with a powerful team effort, France made the most of the space available to cruise to victory in front of their home crowd.
We rate the French players:
15 Brice Dulin:
Showed some neat touches including a deft chip and chase but his kicking out of hand was wayward at times and also got caught in possession at times.
6/10
14 Wesley Fofana:
Looked for work and presented a threat for the Wallaby defence every time he got the ball. Showed his worth on defence by putting in a big tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper and fully deserved his try.
8/10
13 Florian Fritz:
Nothing flashy but solid nonetheless, his defensive organisation was key to keeping the Wallabies tryless and he made the players outside him look good.
6/10
12 Maxime Mermoz:
Provided a dependable presence in midfield and distributed the ball well in a low-key display.
6/10
11 Vincent Clerc:
The experienced wing showed impressive composure under pressure and worked hard off the ball although he got limited opportunities to run in space.
7/10
10 Frederic Michalak:
Controlled things well and made some good decisions like his drop-goal on the stroke of half-time. Put his body on the line on defence and cut the Wallabies backline apart in the build-up to Fofana's try but it was not a flawless performance with a few minor errors.
7/10
9 Maxime Machenaud:
Delivered quick and snappy service but his organisational skills were more impressive as he provided vital direction from behind the pack.
7/10
8 Louis Picamoles:
Made his presence felt in every area as he terrorised the opposition. Showed good control at the back of the scrum along with his characteristic powerful running and hard tackling in an outstanding performance.
9/10
7 Fulgence Ouedraogo:
Worked his socks off in a committed outing which saw him claim a few line-outs and make his presence felt on defence.
6/10
6 Yannick Nyanga:
Had a few disappointing moments early on when he was blown up for a cynical infringement and had the ball ripped off him but bounced back by running good support lines, linking well and making some telling breaks.
7/10
5 Jocelino Suta:
Kept his head down in the tight exchanges and got through plenty of work on defence in a determined display.
6/10
4 Pascal Pape (captain):
The skipper kept things simple and led by example in a hard-working performance. Provided good support and got his team on the front foot.
6/10
3 Nicolas Mas:
Had Benn Robinson under serious pressure at scrum-time and also made an impact in the loose in a highly impressive outing.
8/10
2 Dimitri Szarzewski:
His line-out work was not flawless but he made up for that with some strong work around the park, flying into the collisions and making his presence felt in the tight exchanges.
6/10
1 Yannick Forestier:
A solid game up front and even showed what he can do when put in some space by making an impressive break in midfield.
7/10
Replacements:
16 Benjamin Kayser (On for Szarzewski, 49 mins):
An efficient and effective outing which saw him slot in without a problem.
6/10
17 Thomas Domingo (On for Forestier, 49 mins):
Tackled hard and showed good strength to stay on his feet in the tackle but battled to get the upper hand at scrum-time.
6/10
18 Vincent Debaty (On for Mas, 59 mins):
Secured a turnover late in the game but was not as dominant in the scrums as Mas had been.
6/10
19 Sebastien Vahaamahina (On for Nyanga, 68 mins):
Not enough time to be rated.
20 Damien Chouly (On for Picamoles, 64 mins):
Carried the ball up with gusto and tackled hard in his time on the park.
6/10
21 Morgan Parra (On for Machenaud, 63 mins):
Brought a few classy touches with him onto the pitch and slotted a long-range penalty in an impressive cameo.
7/10
22 Francois Trinh-Duc (On for Michalak, 74 mins):
Not enough time to be rated.
23 Yoann Huget (On for Fritz, 60 mins):
Claimed great high ball and was generally solid in his time in the action.
6/10
By Michael de Vries
