A MASTERFUL performance from stand-in Wallabies skipper David Pocock, who led Australia to a thrilling 25-23 victory over France, has been hailed by coach Michael Cheika as a true captain’s knock.
Pocock was at his brilliant best at the breakdown, stifling French attacking raids and pulling off a decisive turnover in the 77th minute before France playmaker Camille Lopez missed a field goal after full-time that would have won them the game.
“I think we all know what David brings I don’t want to embarrass him sitting next to me but I think as a leader – different as a No.7 – today he played as a leader and captain,” Cheika said.
“And I think that inspires other players around him and it certainly inspires me watching him in the game when you see a leader take it on like that.
“Full credit to him because he was one of the players that was retained in the team, he knew he had a job to do and he took it on with both hands.”
Cheika had named a team of rookies dubbed by the French press as their B-team, or “equipe biz”, but they found a way to clinch a thrilling victory at Stade de France.
“It was very pleasing,” Cheika said. “Like was discussed earlier in the week, the team selection was made with the knowledge that obviously when a player steps inside a gold jersey, he knows who he has to be and we’ve been working really hard on that this year with a new group of players and that’s all I wanted them to do tonight.
“Whether they were labelled as the ‘equipe biz’ or not or the first team, I was just really proud of the effort.
“We made some mistakes as well but I feel like there was a lot of commitment there from our lads.
“That gives them the opportunity to eye-ball each other in the dressing room after the game and say, you know what ‘I did my job and I can look at my teammate straight in the eye’ and that is all there is to it.”
Australia pulled off a second heart-stopping win in two weeks after holding off France to remain undefeated on their spring tour – having beaten Scotland 23-22 last weekend.
An inspired performance from Pocock and a brilliant try by Tevita Kuridrani proved the difference, although the Wallabies feared it would all come to nought when Lopez lined up a field goal after full-time to win the game.
Lopez’s attempt went wide, handing the Wallabies a thrilling victory.
France could easily have claimed victory earlier had it not been for a Pocock turnover while they were deep in attack and Australia’s defence was scattered and fatigued.
The fill-in skipper - regular captain Stephen Moore was on the bench - was monumental at the breakdown, securing several turnovers that kept his side in the game as France attacked furiously and with their renowned flair.
The Wallabies had suffered the loss of Quade Cooper before kick-off with an ankle injury sustained earlier this week, but had prepared for the prospect of his absence.
Cooper’s replacement Bernard Foley produced another sterling display, scoring a try and kicking four from five goals.
Australia led 13-11 at the break and began the second half in style as Foley squeezed through for a try in the 43rd minute off a deft short pass from Will Genia.
This followed a sustained raid at France’s line, and Foley’s conversion of his own try gave the Wallabies a 20-11 lead.
France hit back with a try to five-eighth Jean-Marc Doussain in the 56th after television match official Graham Hughes ruled that winger Virimi Vakatawa had not knocked on in the lead-up.
But two minutes later, Kuridrani scored his pearler after brilliant lead-up work from Genia.
Kuridrani took the ball wide, fended flanker Charles Ollivon and somehow managed to plant the ball on the line while his entire body was flying over the sideline.
France centre Wesley Fofana raced through from close range in the 67th minute to make the score 25-23 and set up a tense finish.
Australia’s scrum had struggled throughout the match but in their own 22, with time up, they somehow held up three reset scrums, forcing France to attack with the ball.
After several phases up the middle, Lopez lined up for his field goal but his miscued attempt deflated the raucous home crowd.
The Wallabies held a slender lead at half-time, largely due to a penalty try conceded by France in the 24th minute.
The French led 8-3 at the time, but Australia got a lineout in their quarter and drove powerfully from the lineout before flanker Charles Ollivon illegally pulled it down just as Tolu Latu looked destined to score.
Kiwi referee Glen Jackson had no hesitation in running under the posts to award the penalty try while also sin-binning Ollivon.
The momentum of the half shifted in that one sequence.
Australia suddenly found some attacking groove and began finding metres two passes wide of the ruck.
They were awarded a penalty three minutes prior to the break and Foley nailed a super 42-metre kick to put Australia ahead 13-8.
But just after the 40 minutes ticked over, Australia was put under massive pressure at scrum-time yet again and Allan Alaalatoa was pinged for collapsing.
The ensuing penalty allowed Machenaud to kick a simple goal to bring the deficit to within two points.
France had raced to an 8-0 lead by 18th minute after Machenuad’s early penalty for a Latu ruck infringement was followed by a try from Vakatawa.
The Fijian-born winger scooped up the ball from the base of the ruck and slammed the ball down after fullback Scott Spedding had been pulled down just short.
The try was the culmination of a long build-up in attack by France that initially began with a break from inside their own half by opposite winger Noa Nakaitaci.
Foley’s 22nd minute penalty got the visitors on the board before the penalty try two minutes later handed them ascendency.
SCORECARD
AUSTRALIA 25 (1 penalty try) (Bernard Foley, Tevita Kuridrani tries Foley 2 cons 2 pens) bt FRANCE 23 (Jean-Marc Doussain, Wesley Fofana, Virimi Vakatawa tries Maxime Machenaud con 2 pens) at Stade de France. Referee: Glen Jackson.
