Australia edge out France

Hynes dives over in the right corner

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Australia secured their first victory on French soil for eight years with a 18-13 success over Les Bleus at the Stade de France.

The Wallabies kept their unbeaten European tour record intact courtesy of a try either side of half-time from hooker Stephen Moore and winger Peter Hynes.

But the result was very much a smash-and-grab effort from the tourists that could have been very different had David Skrela not endured a nightmare evening with the boot.

The Toulouse stand-off was barracked by the Paris crowd after missing five penalties that ultimately decided a tight, nervy contest.

France were granted a penalty try at the end of the first half, with Skrela converting that one, but he could land just one of his six penalty attempts overall. His shocking performance was completed with a yellow card in the closing stages.

Full-back Maxime Medard put the hosts 13-10 up with a drop-goal in the 52nd minute but they could not push on from that, despite plenty of possession.

Lively

Australia somehow went into the break 10-7 ahead despite posing very few problems in a lively but error-strewn first period.

They had been forced into a last-minute change, centre Ryan Cross pulling out just prior to kick-off and Digby Ioane drafted off the bench and into the starting line-up.

It meant a backline reshuffle, with Ioane going to the left wing, Drew Mitchell reverting to full-back and Adam Ashley-Cooper filling in at outside centre, where Cross had been down to play.

Skrela and Stirling Mortlock traded early penalty misses before Matt Giteau landed a 29th-minute three-pointer to give the Australians a barely deserved lead.

And that advantage was extended in the 31st minute when Ashley-Cooper made inroads down the right wing and the ball was quickly recycled out to Moore, who barged over for the opening try from close range. Giteau converted.

Skrela hooked two more penalties wide in the final seven minutes of the half, but France were granted a lifeline in the half's last act when referee Craig Joubert awarded a penalty try after a creaking Australia scrum was forced to infringe close to their own line. Skrela added the additional two points from in front of the sticks.

Beleaguered

The beleaguered Skrela was given a sympathetic cheer when he nailed a penalty in the 46th minute to bring the scores level and France were well in the ascendancy by then.

Medard then booted an audacious 40-yard drop-goal, the effort needing confirmation from video referee Giulio De Santis, to put the hosts in front for the first time.

It did not last long, however, as Australia were handed a bit of go-forward when France were penalised twice at the breakdown and the visitors found themselves on the front foot deep in opposition territory.

Giteau and Mortlock made full use of the field position, combining to send Hynes over in the right corner on the hour mark. Giteau missed the conversion, leaving the scoreline tantalisingly poised at 15-13.

Skrela could have put France back in the lead but he horribly missed penalties in the 70th and 72nd minutes and he paid the price when Giteau booted his second penalty of the night, in the 75th minute, to seal the result.

To cap night to forget for Skrela, he was sent to the sin-bin with four minutes left for a high tackle on Ioane.