BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scored two tries and Romain Ntamack orchestrated a big comeback as France rallied for a 42-26 win over Australia on Saturday in the second round of the rugby Nations Championship.
The French led twice in the first half but trailed 21-12 at the break against a Wallabies lineup that used a one-man advantage to score two tries while Emmanuel Meafou was sidelined for 10 minutes for a yellow card.
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France's Maxime Lucu takes a shot at goal during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Lenni Nouchi is tackled by Australia's Angus Bell, left, and Fraser McReight, right, during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scores a try under the attempted tackle of Australia's Dylan Pietsch during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Romain Ntameck breaks the tackle of Australia's Ryan Lonergan, right, to score a try during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scores a try in the tackle of Australia's Declan Meredith during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
But three tries in a seven-minute span, including two when Australian fullback Tom Wright was on the sidelines for a yellow card, swung momentum fully in favor of the back-to-back Six Nations champions.
France, on the rebound from a tournament-opening 34-32 loss to New Zealand, scored 30 consecutive points in a dominating performance after halftime, including tries for Grandidier-Nkanang, Ntamack, Florian Verhaeghe and Theo Attissogbe. Australia crossed in the 76th minute for a consolation try.
France will travel to Tokyo to play Japan next week. The Wallabies, after the 33-31 loss to Ireland in the first round and the big defeat to France, will go to Perth, Western Australia, to take on Italy in a bid to break a six-test losing streak.
In an eventful first half for Meafou, who grew up in Australia before moving to France to pursue a professional contract, he scored the opening try in the third minute and also received the yellow card.
Australia responded six minutes later following a trick lineout move involving hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa throwing to scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan at the front, getting the return pass and starting the movement that finished with him scoring.
France went ahead again in the 18th when Grandidier-Nkanang beat rookie Australian flyhalf Duncan Meredith in the chase for Ntamack's perfectly-weighted stab kick into the left corner from 30 meters out.
In the 25th, with France leading 12-7, Meafou was carded for making head-on-head contact with Australian backrower Rob Valentini and that gave the Wallabies extra space to attack.
Fraser McReight scored twice in the 10 minutes with a one-man advantage, both from close-range.
The Australian flanker also saved a try just before halftime when he beat a flying Matthieu Jalibert in a race for the ball into the in-goal.
The second half was one-way, with the burst of scoring starting in the 49th when the French used numbers out wide and Jalibert kicked wide for an unmarked winger Grandidier-Nkanang to score in the corner.
France took the lead with a solo try from Ntamack, who ran down the short sideside from about 22-meters out, dummied, palmed off a defender and crashed over in a tackle in the 52nd, and conversion from skipper Maxime Lucu.
The French kept applying the pressure and turned big advantages in possession and territory into points before the result was beyond Australia's reach.
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France's Maxime Lucu takes a shot at goal during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Lenni Nouchi is tackled by Australia's Angus Bell, left, and Fraser McReight, right, during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scores a try under the attempted tackle of Australia's Dylan Pietsch during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Romain Ntameck breaks the tackle of Australia's Ryan Lonergan, right, to score a try during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
France's Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang scores a try in the tackle of Australia's Declan Meredith during the Nations Championship rugby international between France and Australia in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
