Wallabies’ pop-gun revival under Joe Schmidt blown apart as France unload heavy artillery | Daniel Gallan

Wallabies heads are bowed after the bleakness of their heavy defeat by France showed Australia are not cutting it against rugby’s top sides. Photograph: Darren England/AAP View image in fullscreen Wallabies heads are bowed after the bleakness of their heavy defeat by France showed Australia are not cutting it against rugby’s top sides. Photograph: Darren England/AAP Analysis Wallabies’ pop-gun revival under Schmidt blown apart as France unload heavy artillery Daniel Gallan Plucky defeats decorated with patches of excellence will not cut it for Australia with a home World Cup now looming large The camera found Joe Schmidt shortly after France had completed a 22-point swing. Australia’s coach had seen a 21-12 half-time lead obliterated in 16 brutal minutes. Schmidt, one of rugby’s sharpest minds, looked short of answers. The trouble was that the questions confronting him had obvious answers but almost impossible solutions. Why had Australia’s discipline deteriorated? Because they were under pressure. Why had their tackle intensity and ruck speed fallen away? Because France had introduced fresh power from the bench. Why had the Wallabies gone from a nine-point half-time lead to a 13-point deficit in barely a quarter of an hour? Because one team had more large, skilful, Test-quality rugby players than the other. Wallabies extend losing streak after being blown away by France in Nations Championship Read more Schmidt can refine a defensive system, improve a player’s decision-making and devise a move to prise open the narrowest gap. But he cannot conjure another dozen forwards from the Queensland soil. The obvious question is how Australia close that gap. The uncomfortable answer is that Schmidt’s revival has shown no obvious way of doing so. Australia’s 42-26 Nations Championship defeat by France was their sixth in succession, a run they have not endured since the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup final. That tournament now feels like a distant high-water mark, an unidentifiable stain near the top of a wall that nobody can reach. The bleakness of the result was sharpened by the promise of the first half. Australia led because they had played with tempo, continuity and, most importantly, simplicity. Brandon Paenga-Amosa scored from a clever short lineout and a quick recycle after replacing Josh Nasser early. Fraser McReight burrowed over twice, first after the Wallabies chose a scrum while Emmanuel Meafou was in the sin-bin, then at the back of a maul marshalled by the impressive Josh Canham. McReight was everywhere. He registered 25 turnovers last year, more than double his nearest competitor, and plays like a no-necked cheat code biomechanically engineered in a Brisbane laboratory. Early in the second half, with France threatening, he stole the ball again. Max Jorgensen later produced an almighty intervention on his own line. View image in fullscreen Fraser McReight goes on a charge for the Wallabies and was Australia’s standout player. Photograph: Dar