Wallaroos claim famous win over France to shake up WXV1 standings
France entered round two of WXV1 full of confidence having tackled the reigning world champion Black Ferns in round one. Their round two opponents Australia looked to snap that win streak.
A hat trick to Eva Karpani earned the Wallaroos prop Player of the Game honours and spurred the Australian team to a famous win in Dunedin.
It was the Wallaroos who opened the scoring, finding space through the French midfield and showing great endeavour in support with a number of offloads finishing the try.
France’s kicking game steered them around the field well while Australia focussed on contestable punts that their wingers chased fearlessly but ultimately struggled to win.
The kicking allowed France better control of where the game was being played which resulted in points when Emilie Boulard finished off the counter-attack strike which started at halfway. Three offloads were given as France found space down the left wing – a theme of the early exchanges.
Centre Georgina Friedrichs then sparked into life, stepping and ducking tackles to break through the middle of the park and showing up with another step two phases later to score the third try of the match.
Australia’s work at the breakdown was a nuisance to France as the women in white and blue continued to look strong with the ball. Also helping Australia was some lineout steals as France tried to take the short option.
France’s intent in the carry often won them the contact which then allowed for an offload, challenging the Wallaroos’ scramble defence. While surrendering significant territory, Autralia’s desperation tackles were largely up to the challenge in the opening 40 minutes.
The resistance inspired a conservative call from France who opted for the three points, bringing the lead to within two just shy of the halftime break. Australia led 12-10.
Australia’s kicking struggled to provide decent exits and France continued to attack from better field positioning in the second half.
The Wallaroos were reading the French lineout expertly throughout the contest and consistently disrupted ball at set piece.
France’s defensive line wasn’t as aggressive as it was last week against New Zealand but their positioning did place themselves right in the way of any Australian offloads, limiting the damage of any half-breaks.
With the ball five metres from the French line, Eva Karpani picked out a smaller body and ran hard, dragging multiple bodies with her as she crashed over for the first points of the second half. Carys Dallinger’s conversion pushed the lead to nine.
After a tense, tight 10 minutes, the score ramped up the pace of the match and France pressed deep into Australia’s half. The Wallaroos found themselves with their backs on the line just moments after the restart but some stellar defence held the ball up as it crossed the chalk.
Australia’s second unit struggled at set piece time, losing their opening scrum and throwing a wayward lineout to again lose the ball before managing to exit their half. The guiding light for the Wallaroos though was their breakdown work, Emily Chancellor had three turnovers to her name by the hour mark.
The latter of those three handed Australia the chance to press into France’s half where they were awarded a shot at three points. Arabella McKenzie obliged and the lead was pushed to 12.
The scoreboard pressure was getting to France. On the next trip down the field, they had a chance to kick to the corner and attack via lineout but kicked it dead. They were then penalised at the scrum.
Australia had found their rhythm, their attack was fast and cleanouts were clinical, their kicks started to find more distance and the territory battle started to shift.
Emerging from another rolling maul to crash over the line once more was that gold number three jersey, Eva Karpani had herself a hat trick. It would be a famous triple too as the lead was 19 with nine minutes remaining.
The score brought out more high-paced attack from France, who ran hard and direct. The intensity paid dividends just three minutes after Karpani’s try as Élisa Riffonneau powered over the line.
France weren’t done either, five final minutes of rapid back and forth gave way for Gabrielle Vernier to find a seam and spring down the sideline, scoring in the corner. It was too little too late, Australia claiming a 29-20 win.
Comments on RugbyPass
hit on Lynagh was defo late and card-worthy. The other 2 are bang on OK. Hurts you at Test level if youre timing is off and the nostrils are flared. Jerry C knew when to lean in on one, Finau just needs to keep his discipline and head straight.
5 Go to commentsSlade was exceptional against Gloucester. Not only was he doing the classic Slade stuff of running amazing lines and timing passes to perfection to put his wingers into space, he was kicking goals, flying off the line smashing people and crashing into rucks like a flanker… his hair even looked on point. 😍
1 Go to commentsThat’s really sad, hope everyone involved is ok. At least he had pants on.
1 Go to commentsTo be fair it was nowhere bear the Leinster first team (for which, btw, Leinster copped nothing like the outrage that Jake White did for sending a rotated team to the UK). But it’s fun to watch the Stormers doing their thing. They are attracting big, diverse crowds of young fans, and deservedly so. Great to see.
1 Go to commentsIt might be legal but he’s sailing pretty close to the wind. Not a lot needs to go wrong for Finau to end up in the bin. Was it late? Not quite, but borderline. High? A couple of CM within the laws, no room for error with that one. Did he wrap the arms? There was a token effort to wrap one arm, the intent was clearly to hit with the shoulder. So yeah, it’s legal, just. But as we all know, a very slight change in the dynamics could easily have him seeing red. Hopefully not when it really matters.
5 Go to commentsCan we also show some love for Tane Edmed’s fantastic draw and pass? Put his body on the line and committed the defender before letting go of that pass. Flawless skill.
5 Go to commentsYou forget this is Rassie Erasmus who is still holding the Springbok keys. Even with Felix Jones orchestrating a really tight RWC SF last year. It still wasn't enough to get England past their particular Springbok Monkey in world cups. The reason is FJ was going off of what they did in 2019 not necessarily adapting to current Springboks. So yes, Australia can get passed England because let's be honest, England have a one track strategy, Springboks do not. Even with rush defense I wouldn't be surprised if Rassie continually tweaks it. Also bear in mind Rassie is happy to sacrifice a few mid year and inter World Cup matches to pin point how opposition plays and how to again tweak strategies to get his Springboks in peak performance for the next World Cup. As much as most teams like to win games in front of them and try to win everything, Rassie always makes sure to learn and train for the greatest showdown International Rugby has to offer. Tbh, most people remember World Cup wins and ignore intermediate losses as a result but will remember also WC losses, Ireland, even if they won games in the interim. So even if games are won against the Springboks, it's likely Rassie is just getting a feel for how opposition is moving and adapt accordingly…in time. For Rassie, a loss is never a loss because he uses it as a chance to learn and improve. Sometimes during a game, again like the England match in last year's Semi Final.
7 Go to commentsDanny don't care. He pretends to care but he don't. He says all this stuff to justify his reasoning but no one can claim that legitimately. He knew exactly what he was doing and wondered if his old team mate would overlook it, which he did. Ref has got to be sidelined or properly trained. It's one thing for refs to move up the ranks but if it was me I would require refs to either have played in different clubs or not at all having the temptation to bias in high stakes games like this. This has got to be stamped out. But then again World Rugby is so destroying the game of rugby in an attempt to be more “safe” and “concussion free”. What they are doing is making it more infuriating for the fans and more difficult for the refs to officiate evenly and consistently. It's fast become Australian Rules football. If guys don't want concussions, they should have played chess. Stop complaining you oldies of the game. When they played the game was vastly heavier hitting than it is now but of course they can't see that.
2 Go to commentsJa, why do Bulls get flack for not bringing their best but Leinster never bring their best and it goes “unnoticed”?
3 Go to commentsIt’ll be very interesting to see how Razor’s AB’s handle the new England rush D. It’s basically the Bok recipe they copied, so if England goes well then we know most likely the Boks will go well too. If England cops a hiding then we’ll have to study and adapt.
7 Go to commentsTypical trait of an australian is to moan. Goes well with there lack of humbleness as evident by the Reds bench on the weekend.
5 Go to commentsSBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
12 Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
7 Go to commentsSensational tackle. The reds one was late and rightly penalised. The other two were simultaneous with the pass. If nitpicking TMOs can’t find fault there clearly isn’t any.
5 Go to commentsBrumbies fully deserved their win on the back of their physicality and desire to control the ball. Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua and Tyrel Lomax should be the ABs starting front row when we start our test schedule. They have “come of age” and have bested all they have faced as well as been dominant with ball in hand in making the gainline. With De Groot, Tamaiti Williams and Fletcher Newell backed up by Taukei'aho and Cody Taylor there's not an international front row that can trouble us. Can't wait to face the Boks over there, won't be no one point game this time.
7 Go to commentsKinda strange that he wasn’t with a premiership team or a higher level of rugby? Start playing late or something? With that kind of size and athleticism you’d think someone would have picked him up?
2 Go to commentsShows how much attitude matters. Last week the Brumbies got done, this week they dominated the tournament leaders, who were likely thinking they could cruise to victory.
7 Go to commentsA Turtle has more pace and leg drive than Owen Franks, so it’s a good thing he only had to run 90 metres for that try.
2 Go to commentsOh Tamati Tua was in the vastly over-rated Leon MacDonalds Blues system? Well, no wonder he was wasted, much like Emoni Narawa and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens under MacDonald. now look at them. Good thing Tua isn’t eligible, the Aussies latch on to any player who isn’t tied down.
7 Go to commentsMark Telea is a lot of things, but a defensive juggernaut has never been one of them. There will be far bigger tests in that regard for the youngster.
12 Go to comments