France suffered a heartbreaking late 23-21 defeat to the Wallabies in the first Test as their 32-year wait for an away win over Australia goes on.
Lolesio had the chance to be the hero in the 77th minute but his drop goal drifted wide of the right-hand upright. It looked as if Australia's chance had gone but France inexplicably failed to get the ball out of play from a lineout with the clock in the red, conceding possession and allowing Australia to earn a decisive penalty that Lolesio converted from in front of the posts.
Here is how we rated Dave Rennie's charges as they trailed by 15 points in the first half before fighting back to claim a dramatic 23-21 victory over France at Suncorp Stadium.
1. James Slipper - 5
Enjoyed a tight battle in the scrum with Demba Bamba. Small impact on attack.
2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa - 6.5
Solid in the set pieces and rewarded with a first-half try. Physical with his carries and on defence.
3. Allan Alaalatoa - 5
Like Slipper, Alaalatoa had little impact on attack and had a tight battle with his opposition prop, Jean-Baptiste Gros, in the scrums.
4. Matt Philip - 6
Worked tirelessly for 55 minutes. Missed a few tackles but was a go-to for front foot ball on attack.
5. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto - 6.5
Involved heavily on attack with six carries and five passes. A solid lineout option too and busy in the rucks.
6. Rob Valetini - 6.5
Brought the grunt for the Wallabies back row. Defended well and carried hard into contact. Busy with the attacking breakdowns too.
7. Michael Hooper - 8
Playing to his incredibly high standard, Hooper did not take long to settle in after his stint in Japan. He won a key turnover five minutes into the game with the French on the attack. He did so again before halftime and was a menace throughout the game at the breakdown. Quality all-round game from the captain. Cleverly finished a try too.
8. Harry Wilson - 6.5
Unable to keep the ball in at the back of the scrum which led to France's first try. Busy on either side of the ball for the Wallabies but was guilty of a few costly errors. He was also the most effective attacker in the Wallabies pack.
9. Jake Gordon - 6.5
Swift service from the base to Noah Lolesio and kicked relatively well. Didn't take the French defence on as he has done for the Waratahs but made a useful impact on defence.
10. Noah Lolesio - 7
Shifted the ball onto his back regularly as he carried to the line just twice. Smart enough to attempt the drop goals and while neither of his two attempts came off, he did slot all his shots at goal to seal the win.
11. Marika Koroibete - 8
Constantly looking for work, Koroibete was the biggest threat on attack for the Wallabies making over 50 running metres beating 4 defenders.
12. Matt To'omua - 6
Acted as the second playmaker as the Wallabies got the ball wide regularly. Missed two of his six tackles but linked up nicely with the likes of Paisami and Lolesio.
13. Hunter Paisami - 6.5
A mixed bag for the Wallabies centre as he run some excellent lines, distributed well and made over 50 running metres. A few missed placed kicks and handling errors hurt his rating as he conceded three turnovers.
14. Tom Wright - 6
Defensively sound as he was safe under the high ball and kicked well out of hand. Saw little ball on attack.
15. Tom Banks - 4
Looked to get too much on his kick to touch from the first penalty of the game, missed touch. Caught out defensively too and had a kick go out on the full too. A few threatening runs on attack that didn't result in much. Solid enough under the high ball.
Reserves:
Lachlan Lonergan: 6.5 - Some nice hits on defence and was secure in the set pieces.
Angus Bell: 7 - Big impact at scrum time and made some thumping tackles too.
Taniela Tupou: 8 - Massive impact at scrum time.
Darcy Swain - 6: Bright debut as he immediately charged down a Couilloud kick and thundered into rucks.
Isi Naisarani - 6: Carried strongly to get Australia on the front foot.
Tate McDermott - 7: Controlled the tempo late on in the game and made a big hit that led to a turnover. Livewire performance.
Len Ikitau - Didn't get on.
Andrew Kellaway - not enough minutes for a fair rating.
