“A bloody good feeling” enthused lock Darcy Swain and every fan looking for a reason to reconnect with the Wallabies found it in a Suncorp Stadium thriller.
Beating France 33-30 with just 14 men for 75 minutes was exceptional.
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You can win support for a team with great tries or you can earn respect with great shows of heart like this.
The Wallabies played better with 14 men than they did at any other stage of the series.
They came back from 10-0 down. They didn’t accept 30-all as good enough. They saluted a new young hero in flyhalf Noah Lolesio, who slotted a nerveless penalty goal to win inside the final two minutes.
You have to get in context how playing with 14 men can distort your game and bring a side unstuck.
In 2017, the Wallabies led 12-10 when they had prop Sekope Kepu sent off at Murrayfield. By full-time, the Wallabies had been routed 53-24 by Scotland.
So what did we learn?
1 DARCY SWAIN
A cool, long streak of class as a new Wallabies lock. The Babinda product is a wonderful new asset for the Wallabies as a lineout winner and disrupter.
He locked up the final ball of this Test and messed up the French ball at the end of the first Test win. He rises in big moments with an obvious composure.
2 STATEMENT FROM THE FORWARDS
This was a major improvement from the forwards. They competed far better at the breakdown and protected their own ball better than they did in the opening two Tests.
Skipper Michael Hooper set a high standard. Early on, he made a desperate tackle close to his own line and moments later was bursting through off a fine, flat Lolesio pass to put Tate McDermott over for a try.
Flanker Lachie Swinton hit hard and carried well. No.8 Isi Naisarani played possibly his best Test with his workrate doing much the same. Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa was immense and prop Taniela Tupou changed the Test with his scrum dominance.
3 FRENCH FLAIR
Frenchman Pierre-Louis Barassi scored a ripper of a try after a flowing 95m move by the tourists. This series has shown just how good Les Bleus are going to be at the 2023 World Cup on their soil.
The French were entertaining visitors. Three Tests in 11 days worked despite initial misgivings. It sustained a vibe for the series and the two midweek Tests were accepted by fans.
4 BACKLINE POISE
It still runs hot and cold. The floating Noah Lolesio cutout ball mid-game just wasn’t the right play when going through the hands outside him was a better option than a floater to Reece Hodge on the wing.
Centre Hunter Paisami’s ball security was again poor. It’s curious because it hasn’t surfaced as a problem until now. He needs to fix it quickly.
Lolesio did step up big time as a goalkicker, with the slick pass to Hooper and taking the ball to the line numerous times.
Halfback Tate McDermott was the darting, elusive factor it was hoped. He threw a few average passes but he had an overwhelmingly positive game.
5 BLEDISLOE CUP
The Wallabies will prepare with a surge of confidence and that’s priceless after winning a three-Test series in Australia for the first time since 2014.
The best pointer was the showing of the forwards which is where the Wallabies have to perform to measure up against the All Blacks.
It's going to be super tough on August 7 at Eden Park but Australia's preparation against the French has been tougher than New Zealand's against Tonga and Fiji.
