France 48-33 Australia: The Wallabies suffer their first winless European tour in 67 years

Australia ended their European tour without a win for the first time in 67 years after losing 48-33 to France at Stade de France.

It was the Wallabies’ fourth defeat of the autumn after losses to Italy, England and Ireland – and their tenth this year.

This is the second week in a row that Australia has conceded more than 40 points, after its 46-19 defeat to Ireland last Saturday.

The defeat represented a historic low for the Wallabies, who had not lost 10 Tests in a previous calendar year.

This means coach Joe Schmidt, who will leave after the Nations Championship in July, now has a win percentage of less than 40%.

The Wallabies, who will host the 2027 World Cup, scored first through Matt Fässler after Len Equitau’s run, but France quickly responded when Louis-Bel-Billard set up Nicolas Deportier.

Angus Bell restored the lead for the visitors, but efforts from Thomas Ramos and Bel-Biare in another challenge from Fassler left the score at 19-19 at the break.

However, Australia were unable to match France’s energy long enough in the second half.

Deportiere gave the home side the lead before Max Jorgensen hit back for the Wallabies – but France took control late on.

Poor French discipline in the first half – with the team conceding eight penalties – allowed the visitors to stay in the game, and the French national team led by just one point with 20 minutes remaining.

However, goals from Julien Marchand and Bel Piare extended their lead, and Josh Nasser’s attempt to spark a fight was met with a quick French response as Maxime Lamothe added another minute before the end.

Bel Béarre’s double, which also saw him make two tries, means he has now scored 20 Test tries in 22 appearances since his debut in 2023, while France’s victory secured them the top seed in the World Cup draw.

Elsewhere, Italy’s fall series of matches ended with a victory over its guest Chile 34-19 in the first meeting between the two teams.