France rally from 14 points down to edge Wallaroos 29-26
France beat Australia's Wallaroos 29-26 in Aix-en-Provence on Saturday 19 September after trailing 26-12 with 25 minutes left.
The WXV 2026 Test at Stade Maurice David finished with 17 unanswered points for the hosts. Australia, ranked ninth in the world to France's fourth, led 19-0 early and 19-12 at half-time but could not hold on The Guardian.
Australia struck first and kept striking. Winger Britanny Merlo scored after 17 minutes, with further first-half tries from hooker Tania Naden and lock Caitlyn Halse powering the Wallaroos clear. France hit back with two tries before the break to stay in touch.
The score only tells half the story. France were hit with four cards in 20 minutes in the first half and were down to 11 players at one stage. Ambre Mwayembe, Lea Champon and Lea Murie were all sin-binned, sent to the sideline for 10 minutes, for high tackles. Mwayembe's yellow was later upgraded to a 20-minute red card, which leaves a team short before a replacement is allowed, while Chloe Correa was shown a straight red card for eye-gouging in the maul, the standing drive where the ball-carrier binds with teammates.
There was more disruption after half-time. The restart was delayed by a bus on fire adjacent to the stadium. When play resumed, Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu Sekona's side extended the lead. Back-rower Piper Duck scored five minutes into the delayed second half to make it 26-12.
Then France hit back. Scrum-half Pauline Bourdon scored among their second-half points as the home side chipped away. Australia lost lock Michaela Leonard to the sin-bin for a high tackle, and France's Charlotte Escudero was also sin-binned for 10 minutes for a high challenge, before France closed out the three-point win.
For coach Tim Walsh's Wallaroos, it was a second straight defeat on the tour after losing the previous week. They had locked in France and Scotland to complete their WXV calendar, and after Aix-en-Provence they were scheduled to travel to Edinburgh to face Scotland Wallaroos Rugby. Kick-off in Aix-en-Provence was 17:45 local time.
What makes this stand out is the arithmetic. Playing most of the first half short eats legs and shape, especially in the forwards where tackles and clear-outs pile up. France still found the energy for the final quarter. For fans, this means Australia leave France with questions about game control, while the hosts take momentum despite a disciplinary bill that will need attention.
