The two teams head into this one on vastly different trajectories with France one of the favourites to win the tournament, while some pundits are doubtful that Australia will even top their pool.
Sunday 27 August
France | Draw | Australia
Odds TBA*
This is a bit of a crazy fixture if you ask me. We’ll be less than two weeks out to the kick-off of the World Cup when this game starts and while I can understand coaches wanting as much match prep as possible, it’s just beggars belief that a fixture of this magnitude would take place so close to the start of the global showpiece.
Even more crazy is the fact that there was a shadow cast over whether this match will actually take place with the French Rugby Federation and Rugby Australia arguing over match fees. It seems the game should go ahead, however, with both the RA and FFR having come to some sort of compromise.
While the bigwigs have been battling it out in the boardroom, the French players have been out on the field with Le Bleu fielding a weakened outfit against the Flying Fijians this past weekend. The Fijians gave them a real stern test but the French second-stringers came through it beating their opponents 34-17.
Following that fixture and with incumbent ten Romain Ntacmack ruled out of the World Cup, we’re likely to see Mathieu Jailbert come in for Antoine Hastoy at fly-half. The latter gave a decent account of himself against the Fijians and Fabien Glathie will want to give Jailbert – who is most likely to be given the starting ten role in the opener against New Zealand – a run at fly-half.
While the French were in action last week, the Wallabies weren’t, although their sending away party cast shades of Indiana Jones with the Wallabies adorning Akubra hats and Indiana – sorry I mean Eddie – Jones using his whip like tongue to keep the journos at bay.
I know a youthful Australian side ran a weakened Kiwi outfit close in Bledisloe 2 but I cannot see them doing the same against a French side that is likely to be stacked with first stringers. Money on the French winning this one at a canter.
Verdict: France on the minus
