Player ratings: Flying Folau
Australia produced one of their biggest wins over France in history in Brisbane on Saturday, a game that was more one-sided than the scoreline suggests.
Israel Folau was the spark that saw the Wallabies outscore France by seven tries to two in a 50-23 win – a margin askewed by two French tries in the final 10 minutes.
The 34-point margin is short of the record (59-16) win recorded in Paris in 2010 and also the next best – a 40-10 win in Brisbane in 2008.
Although Folau got just one five-pointer, the first of the match, he was prominent in so much of the Wallabies' raids that exposed the French defence.
Jan de Koning rates the Australian players!
15 Israel Folau:
From the outset he caused problems for the French defence and was rewarded with the first try. He kept looking for work and is clearly Australia's main attacking weapon.
9/10
14 Adam Ashley-Cooper:
Dealt with the French kicks well, but his kicking out of hands wasn't always accurate. Showed good innovation and worked hard in supporting on the other wing.
7/10
13 Tevita Kuridrani:
Showed good vision and skill in the lead-up to the Michael Hooper try and again later in the Kurtley Beale score. Did slip the odd tackle.
7/10
12 Matt Toomua:
Very prominent in the build-up to the second try, but his defence was not always on par. Did put in some big hits near the line though.
6/10
11 Nick Cummins:
Was really impressive on the cover defence and worked hard off the ball, making some good yards.
7/10
10 Bernard Foley:
His goal-kicking wasn't at a standard you would expect for a Test match and he slipped a few too many tackles, but his passing game was good.
5/10
9 Nic White:
Showed some good vision and always managed to find the right runners at crucial times, although his kicking game can do with some work.
6/10
8 Wycliff Palu:
Lots of carries for very little gain, but it is on defence where he did most of his damage.
7/10
7 Michael Hooper:
Slipped the odd tackle, but it was at the breakdown and with ball in hand where he really impressed. Also took over the captaincy when Stephen Moore left the field early on.
8/10
6 Scott Fardy:
Caught offside on a couple of occasions, but worked hard on defence and with ball in hand. Won a couple of turnovers.
7/10
5 Sam Carter:
Concede a couple of early penalties, but his work on defence was impressive – produced the highest tackle count in the match.
7/10
4 Rob Simmons:
Not always accurate at restarts, but strong with ball in hand and worked hard at the breakdowns. Also dominated the line-outs.
7/10
3 Sekope Kepu:
Penalised at an early scrum and then later in the first half for obstruction. Also slipped a couple of tackles. Was quieter than expected.
5/10
2 Stephen Moore (captain):
Fell awkwardly in an early tackle and hurt his knee. Lasted less than five minutes.
1 James Slipper:
Showed so great touches in the lead-up to the first try and made a few carries, although he struggled to make real progress with ball in hand.
6/10
Replacements:
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau (on for Moore, 5th min):
Did the basics well, especially on defence – where he did not slip a single tackle.
7/10
17 Pek Cowan (on for Slipper, 62nd min):
No real impact.
5/10
18 Paddy Ryan (on for Kepu, 53rd min):
Another player who failed to maintain the momentum when he came on and slipped too many tackles.
5/10
19 James Horwill (on for Simmons, 70th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
20 Ben McCalman (on for Palu, 54th min):
His workrate was very poor and produced the occasional spurt.
5/10
21 Nick Phipps (on for White, 62nd min):
Failed to make a single tackle – shocking stuff.
3/10
22 Kurtley Beale (on for Toomua, 67th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
23 Pat McCabe (on for Kuridrani, 70th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
