This time year, give or take a week or two, the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne was where the Wallabies faced the Lions in the second of their three Tests. Beneath the closed roof of the new structure and in front of a capacity audience, the Australians came from way behind in the second half to turn the match and the series. It was a night of rare drama.
On all fronts this encounter with the grand-slam champions of Europe was different, except for the roof. This first of a two-Test series was played out in front of 20,000 empty seats in the upper tiers. The Wallabies were only behind briefly - thanks to a long-range penalty from Damien Traille in the opening minutes - and the match in general lacked the tension of last year.
Not that it didn't have its moments. Even Victorians more attached to Aussie Rules were interested to see how Wendell Sailor would perform in his first union Test since his conversion from league. Well, the large winger went pretty well in his role of dummy runner. The ball tended to stay away from him, although he had one run in the first quarter that would have sent warning signals around the world had it not been stopped by Pepito Elhorga, the full-back who just about comes up to Sailor's navel.
France were worried not so much by who was against them as by who was missing from their own ranks. Namely Fabien Galthié their inspiration as captain and scrum-half. In his place was the impossibly young-looking Frederic Michalak, with the even fresher-faced François Gelez outside him. Both came through the muscular challenge of the world champions intact.
Unfortunately for the French half-backs their rather more seasoned forwards did not fare so well in the first half. They may have felt the English referee was harsh on their scrummage, which seemed to have the nudge on the Wallaby front row, but their line-out was a mess. It wasn't until Imanol Harinordoquy began to win ball at the tail that France threatened to mount any sort of challenge. Even then, in the second half, they found that the three-quarters lacked fluency and that the Wallaby defence was as reinforced as ever.
Not much has changed in a year in the Australian approach. Eddie Jones, the new coach, promised a certain liberation after the age of Rod Macqueen, but for the moment the old obduracy of the Wallabies is proving its worth. Muscularity is still a priority, although when Mat Rogers - like Sailor a convert from league - came on for his first cap, there did suddenly seem to be a greater vision across the backs.
For the greater portion of the game it was the household names who did the damage. Matt Burke, playing in the centre alongside Daniel Herbert in an identikit definition of muscularity, kicked 19 points and kept Traille and Tony Marsh shackled. George Gregan did the talking and the orchestration and Stephen Larkham smoothly distributed.
He passed, for example, when he received quick line-out possession courtesy of Justin Harrison. Straight from the set-piece, the ball went wide. Sailor ran the dummy line on the inside, Chris Latham looped Stirling Mortlock on the outside and after a fine catch for the final pass, the full-back made it over in the corner. A video check was required just to make sure he hadn't clipped the touchline before touching down.
Larkham did not distribute for the second try. He took slow ball from a line-out and simply went outside Aurelien Rougerie. It was fine slipperiness by Larkham but pretty ropy defence by the French winger.
France had only three penalties to their name. Trailing by 14 points at the interval, they seemed to be heading into deep trouble. This is not an easy tour for them. Last week they lost by a point in Buenos Aires against the Pumas. The second half at the Colonial could have been as long a haul for the visitors as their slog across the Southern Ocean.
To their credit, they put aside jet-lag to win some line-out ball. Suddenly Olivier Magne was in the game. Harinordoquy not only jumped but ran from the back of the scrum and made yards. Serge Betsen was even more dynamic at the tackle. Once the wing-forward stops giving away penalties he will be world class.
The reward for France was an early penalty and a late try in the second half. The first was by Gelez, cool, floppy-haired and handsome, the second by Jean-Baptiste Poux, a replacement prop. It came after a series of rumbles against the Wallaby line. Even the best defence must yield to Frenchmen on a seri ous roll. If the rollers can continue to improve without Galthié, they may yet spring a surprise on the Wallabies in the second Test.
Australia: Latham; Sailor, Herbert (Rogers 71), Burke, Mortlock; Larkham (Flatley 71), Gregan (capt); Young, Paul (Cannon 33), Noriega (Moore 63), Harrison, Sharpe, Finegan (Cockbain 60), Smith (Lyons 63), Kefu.
Tries: Latham, Larkham. Cons: Burke (2). Pens: Burke (5).
France: Elhorga; Rougier, Marsh, Traille, Jeanjean (Jauzion 52); Gelez, Michalak; Martinez (Ibañez 74), Azam, Marconnet (Poux 58), Pelous, Porcu (Brouzet 58), Betsen, Magne (capt), Harinordoquy.
Try: Poux. Pens: Gelez (3), Traille.
Referee: C White (England).
