The match was tightly poised at the break but two tries with four minutes of the re-start, one each to lock Sharpe and flanker Elsom, set up a comfortable victory for the Wallabies.

The first opportunity to score came in the 4th minute when France were penalised for diving into a ruck forty metres out straight in front by referee Marius Jonker but Matt Giteau’s penalty attempt faded wide. But France also had a useful opportunity when young winger Alexis Palisson stepped around Lote Tuqiri and made good ground down the right hand side.

Sebastien Chabal was also in good form, causing havoc in the Wallabies line out by stealing some early throw-ins. But in the 18th minute a ruck infringement by French centre Damien Traille gave Giteau another chance. He made no mistake from 25 metres out just to the right of the post to put the Wallabies up 3–0.

Visiting scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili equalised from 40 metres out four minutes later before both teams were rocked by injuries. French full back Pepito Elhorga damaged his shoulder in a heavy tackle while Tuqiri was replaced with 11 minutes to go in the first half with a knee injury.

But with four minutes to go in the first half the French resolve finally broke with fullback Cameron Shepherd launching a counter-attack from a poorly directed French kick which he took on his own 22. Shepherd combined with Mortlock and replacement Adam Ashley-Cooper to create the space for Giteau to score the game's first try.

Giteau also converted and Yachvili's penalty after the siren made the half-time score Australia 10, France 6.

The Wallabies started the second half in much more aggressive mood. Luke Burgess made a strong break from which the French never recovered, and from a subsequent ruck the scrum-half popped a pass to Sharpe, who crashed over. Giteau converted and then sent Elsom over for the next try four minutes later. The fly-half again converted and added a penalty for a seemingly insurmountable 27-6 Australian lead.

Australia raced away even further on the 62nd minute when Mortlock intercepted a Traille pass to race thirty metres and score under the posts. Giteau again converted to make the score 34–6. France got over for their only try shortly afterwards when after some sustained pressure Palisson managed to plant the ball on the line despite a huge tackle by Mortlock. Francois Trinh-Duc converted to bring the score back to 34–13.

France pressed the home line in the final minutes but the Wallabies held out.

Australia (10) 34 France (6) 13

Australia: Tries: Giteau, Sharpe, Elsom, Mortlock. Cons: Giteau 4. Pens: Giteau 2.

Australia: Shepherd, Hynes, Mortlock, Barnes, Tuqiri, Giteau, Burgess, Robinson, Moore, Baxter, Horwill, Sharpe, Elsom,
Smith, Palu.

Replacements: Cross for Barnes (57), Ashley-Cooper for Tuqiri (29), Cordingley for Burgess (72), Alexander for Robinson (60), Freier for Moore (71), Mumm for Smith (65), Waugh for Palu (41).

France: Tries: Palisson. Cons: Trinh-Duc. Pens: Yachvili 2.

France: Elhorga, Palisson, Trinh-Duc, Traille, Thiery, Boyet, Yachvili, Faure, Bruno, Lecouls, Chabal, Nallet, Ouedraogo,
Harinordoquy, Picamoles.

Replacements: Janin for Elhorga (23), Lacroix for Boyet (58), Tillous-Borde for Yachvili (60), Boyoud for Faure (48),
Kayser for Bruno (49), Couzinet for Nallet (71), Lievremont for Picamoles (59).

Att: 48,900

Ref: M Jonker (South Africa).

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has kept faith with the players who delivered a gritty 18-12 win over Ireland in the opening match of the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series in Melbourne on June 14.

“It [Melbourne] was a starting point for us as a group,” Deans says.

“As such, it was important that we kept the combination together as much as we could, to allow them to develop further with more time operating as a unit in a match day environment. Fortunately injuries or – more accurately – a lack of them, have allowed us to do that.”

However, when prop Matt Dunning aggravated a leg injury earlier this week force, Deans was forced into a change to change to his front row.

Al Baxter was then promoted from the replacements bench with the uncapped Ben Alexander to the replacements' bench.

The 23-year-old Baxter has limited experience having never even started a Super 14 match but Deans has opted to fast-track him into the squad.

"He is ready to go and did his job well for Australia A last Sunday. It is a great opportunity for him," Deans said.

The Wallabies had three days in camp at Coogee last week, then returned to the training field yesterday.

Much of the work, Deans says, was general in nature, lacking a specific reference to the challenge that France will pose on Saturday night.

This is not being disrespectful to the tourists, Deans says.

It simply reflects his desire to involve all of the players, as much as is possible, in developing the method and playing style that the Wallabies will pursue under his stewardship, so that there is widespread understanding throughout the 30-man party.

“It’s a reality that not everyone assembled can play for the Qantas Wallabies on any given weekend,” Deans says.

“That is why we’ve endeavoured to give as many of our players who’ve been outside of the match day starting XV as we can, some rugby, whether it’s come by playing for their club sides, or being part of the Australia A programme.

“As we saw last Sunday at North Sydney Oval, not only has that allowed them all much needed match play, the current excitement level that exists within the whole group was made clear by their actions, in terms of how they’ve all played.”

While many of the French names are not well known to the wider Australian audience, Deans has used his close contact with the current Clermont Auvergne club head coach, his former 2IC at the Crusaders, Vern Cotter, to gauge the potential of the touring line-up.

Wallabies assistant Jim Williams’ hands on knowledge from his recent experience at Munster, where he coached against many of the tourists during the Irish club’s run to the European Cup last month, has also allowed the Wallabies to fully assess the level of threat the visitors pose.

“There’s no such thing as a poor French side,” Deans warned.

“When you put themselves in their shoes at the moment, there’s only upside. They have a great opportunity to wear their national jersey, represent their country proudly overseas, and achieve. That is a dangerous combination in any situation.”

History also highlights the potential the French boast.

“You only have to look at Rugby World Cups – in matches both against Australia and New Zealand, to see that the French are at their best when they see themselves as the underdog,” Deans says.

The Wallabies coach experienced French life and culture as a player, at Grenoble, during his career. That time has given him an appreciation for what makes the French player tick.

“The French are a very passionate and emotive people, and generally thrive in circumstances exactly like those they are presented with on this tour,” Deans explains.

“If they feel that they are not being treated with proper respect by the news media and public; that can really stir them up emotionally and help them thrive. And their level of adventure and enthusiasm on the rugby field is such, generally anything is possible!

“They have won games when no one but the players in the group have believed that they could, and they will continue to do so going forward… just hopefully not this weekend! There are many examples already of the folly of not according France full respect. That’s not a mistake our group intends to make.”

France have named a team of old and new faces for the first of their two Tests against Australia, in Sydney on Saturday.

Six Nations Championship captain Lionel Nallet is at the helm again of a squad which travelled down under without players from the four semi-final clubs in the Top 14 - Toulouse, Clermont-Auvergne, Stade Francais and Perpignan.

Montpellier fly-half François Trinh-Duc will start in the centres alongside Damien Traille with Bourgoin's Benjamin Boyet wearing the No 10 jersey.

There are Test debuts for the Brive wing Alexis Palisson and tighthead prop Benoît Lecouls, while Sale's recalled Sébastien Chabal gets a run alongside Nallet in the second row.

Nallet believes his inexperienced squad can take the game to Australia, saying that he sees the Wallaby forwards as a weakness to be exploited.

"I think if there's a key to the game that could give problems to Australia, it's in the forwards," Nallet told the ARU website.

"We are here to challenge the Aussie team and most of the players who are in the squad will be happy to show they are able to play at that level."

The last time France won in Australia was also in Sydney, a 28–19 victory in 1990, and Nallet is determined that his team will replicate that feat.

"It's the first time I'm coming to Australia so I want to perform," he said.

France's goal-kicking scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili also believed an upset was possible, pointing out that the Wallabies and head coach Robbie Deans were also a new combination.

“We come here to put pressure on this team. After all, we know they've changed their coach. There's a lot of new players also," Yachvili said.

"They will be very motivated and want to beat us, we know it. But we have no pressure, we come to make good games and to give all, to do our best and to defend our jersey.

"Maybe the [Wallabies] defence is not as good as we think … so we will see, but it's a good team to watch."

Australia: Cameron Shepherd, Peter Hynes, Stirling Mortlock (captain), Berrick Barnes, Lote Tuqiri, Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess, Wycliff Palu, George Smith, Rocky Elsom, Nathan Sharpe, James Horwill, Al Baxter, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson.

Replacements: Adam Freier, Ben Alexander, Dean Mumm, Phil Waugh, Sam Cordingley, Ryan Cross, Adam Ashley-Cooper.

France: Pepito Elhorga, Alexis Palisson, Damien Traille, Francois Trinh-Duc, Sebastien Thiery, Benjamin Boyet, Dmitri Yachvili, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles, Imanol Harinordoquy, Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet (captain), Lionel Faure, Sebastien Bruno, Benoit Lecouls

Replacements: Benjamin Kayser, Renaud Boyoud, David Couzinet, Matthieu Lievremont, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Thibault Lacroix, David Janin.

Referee: M. Lawrence

Touch Judges: J. Kaplan, B. Lawrence

TMO: J. Meuwesen