Wallabies Next Game, Latest Odds and Analysis
Daire Walsh
Following a narrow victory against Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium last weekend, Australia can expect to be put to the pin of their collar by France in Saint-Denis on Saturday.
This heavyweight clash has piqued the interest of betting sites and regardless of what way the result falls, it is set to be a compelling spectacle at the Stade de France.
A Mixed 2022 Thus Far For The Wallabies
At best, Australia’s summer series with England and their subsequent participation in The Rugby Championship could be described as a mixed bag.
Having overcome the loss of Darcy Swain to a red card to claim an opening test win against the English, Dave Rennie’s charges went on to suffer back-to-back reversals to the visiting nation.
The Championship saw them recording impressive triumphs at the expense of Argentina and South Africa – in addition to a controversial last-gasp defeat to the All Blacks – but it was a tournament that ultimately ended in disappointment for the Wallabies.
With four losses from six games, the Aussies finished third in the table, nine points adrift of champions New Zealand.
The Kiwis secured top honours by convincingly putting their close rivals to the sword in a final round encounter at Eden Park in Auckland.
Jordan Petaia crossed over for a stoppage-time try, but Australia still fell to a crushing 40-14 defeat.
Australia Get Autumn Series Off To Winning Start
This would have hurt the morale of the Wallabies squad and with Scotland holding the Indian sign over them in recent test matches, there was no guarantee they would get back on the horse.
Australia hadn’t beaten Scotland since 2016 and it was looking ominous for them when the Scots developed a 15-6 cushion by the 53rd minute in Edinburgh.
Yet the Wallabies showed there is plenty of character within their ranks and 10 points on the bounce helped them to squeeze home in the end.
Scotland have become known for their inconsistency in recent seasons, but they remain a more than capable international side.
On the other hand, current Six Nations Grand Slam champions France are on a different level at the moment and are second only to Ireland in the world rankings.
Les Bleu’s resurgence has captured the attention on both sides of the rugby continent, and they are seen as genuine favourites in the Rugby World Cup betting odds, especially as the competition is being held in their homeland next year.
France Expected To Come Through Saturday’s Test
That aforementioned win against Scotland saw Australia leapfrogging from ninth to sixth in the World Rugby rankings, but it hasn’t been enough to install them as favourites with online rugby betting sites for Saturday’s bout with France.
Bookmakers valuing a French win at 1.17 in advance of this weekend’s fare. Meanwhile, Ladbrokes are seeing an Australia victory as an outside bet at 5.5.
Although it is not likely to happen, the odds on France and Australia ending in a stalemate can be found at 34.0.
Although this has happened twice in the past, the fact Betfair are presenting odds of 7.0 on France winning by a margin of between 11 and 15 points suggests the Wallabies might be doing well to stay within reach.
A Narrow Victory For Either Side Can’t Be Ruled Out
At the same time, an Australian win of between 1 and 5 points is rated as an 9.0 possibility with bet365.
The southern hemisphere side have found it difficult to put together a string of victories under Rennie’s watch, but it should be noted that they had the measure of Les Bleus in a summer series just last year.
Thanks to a stoppage-time penalty from Noah Lolesio, the Wallabies edged their opening test against French in July 2021 on a scoreline of 23-21.
France subsequently levelled the series with a 28-26 triumph in Melbourne – Les Bleus place-kicker Melvyn Jaminet proving himself to be the match-winner on this occasion. Jaminet had looked set to secure a share of the spoils in the final test on July 17, but Lolesio ultimately propelled Australia towards a 33-30 win.
Despite so many Australian betting sites favouring a wider margin of victory, it would come as little surprise if Saturday’s game was to go along similar lines.
In addition to the above value on a 1-5 points Australian triumph, a French win by the same tally is available at 8.0.
Wallabies In The Middle Of A Busy Schedule
Given this is the second of five autumn internationals that the Wallabies will be playing in the northern hemisphere over the course of November, head coach Rennie is expected to learn a lot about his troops in advance of what promises to be a hectic 2023.
Italy, Ireland and Wales will also be visited by the Aussies in the next few weeks, but their minds will be squarely focused on a gargantuan tussle with France for now.
As well as having two international centurions in the shape of Michael Hooper and James Slipper, there were also five uncapped players included in the Wallabies squad for this window.
Whereas Sam Talakai, Ben Donaldson and Mark Nawaqanitawase are still waiting on their first senior caps, Jock Campbell and Langi Gleeson were introduced off the bench for Australian bows in the Scotland game.
Experienced Heads Will Be Vital For Australia’s Chances Of Success
Despite being one of two players in the Wallabies squad who doesn’t ply his trade in Super Rugby – La Rochelle’s Will Skelton is the other – out-half Bernard Foley remains a vital cog in this Australia team.
Currently contracted to Japanese outfit Kubota Spears, he contributed 11 points off the kicking tee to edge Australia past the Scots.
Even though Rennie will be hoping the younger members of his squad can step up to the plate, the experience of Hooper, Slipper and Foley will be crucial if Australia are going to record their 31st test success over France.