France 14 defeated Australia 13
@ Stade Velodrome, Marseille on Sat 17th November 2001

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The undisputed best team in the world at season's end last year would now count itself fortunate to be ranked in the top four.

Sadly, the Wallabies have once again failed to fire. And well may their collective pride take a considerable beating as a result. Because, let's face it, Australian rugby has become boring. We've become the Springboks of '95-'97 - successful but uninspiring. The moves have become predictable, as have the bash-it-up offence and the frequent and costly ill-discipline.

Of the two teams on the field today, the France were superior by a considerable margin. The close score utterly belied the fact that the French effectively thrashed us in all aspects of the game. Ben Tune's spectacular last-minute try merely gave the margin of defeat a respectable, but deeply misleading, appearance. If the French kickers had been on song, they would have been out of sight by half time.

So, what lessons can be learned from the first back-to-back defeats suffered by a Wallaby team in the Northern Hemisphere since 1981, and the first loss to France since 1993? If nothing else, it will force Eddie Jones and the team to go back to the drawing board. To say the team needs to reinvent itself is probably going a little too far, but a catharsis of sorts is definitely required. I'd rather see the team losing and playing badly two years before RWC 2003 than in the months leading up to it. At least now we have the opportunity to right the wrongs. But I suspect that this will take time. It is entirely possible that 2002 will be a season spent rebuilding the team and rejuvenating their play - and games will most likely be lost as a result. But all for the greater good.

The Wallabies of '98-'01 have come to the end of their life cycle. Consider that we are currently on a losing season, with 4 wins - 1 draw - 4 losses from 9 tests this year. Not particularly impressive stuff, even when one considers the quality of the opposition. But that is exactly my point, if we are the best team in the world then we should be able to win against quality opposition. And yet we have looked clueless against the Springboks, England, France, and the Lions (for all but two halves of rugby).

Our opposition has figured us out and has started to expose our lack of basic skills in some areas. A 'new' team with a fresh approach is required. And I still have confidence that Eddie Jones is going to be a catalyst for positive change throughout his tenure as coach.

But what of this test match? When a team plays poorly across the board, it is difficult to single out especially good or particularly poor performers, for the team collectively - if you'll pardon the pun - dropped the ball.

Steve Larkham is worrying me. He has not looked comfortable all year - with the possible exception of the second half of the second test against the Lions. In fact, we haven't seen Bernie's best since 1999. However, I'm mindful of the fact that he is a quality player, and a quality player doesn't lose his inherent abilities. He can, however, lose form and confidence, and that would appear to be Bernie's fate at the moment. God knows, it's amazing he's still playing at all, considering the punishment he attracts from opposition defence hell bent on shutting him down. Nevertheless, as he would freely admit, that is simply a reality - an inevitability - that has to be dealt with and overcome. This year, in particular, the opposition has had the better of the contest. I was astounded to find myself almost wishing for Elton Flatley to come on and replace him, because I am yet to be convinced that Flats is truly of test quality himself. I just hope that Larkham has a productive and injury-free Super12 next year, where he can find some form and confidence and bring that with him into next year's tests.

I thought that Tune played with enthusiasm and aggression whilst on the field - and wasn't that a welcome sight! Given Graeme Bond's quiet game (perhaps because of injury?), Tune has definitely done enough to warrant a start against both Wales and the Barbarians.

The Battle of the Number Sevens was also intriguing, with Phil Waugh probably the best of the Wallabies in the first half, and George Smith the best of the team in the second. I suspect Jones will stick with the Waugh 1st half / Smith 2nd half combination for the two remaining matches this year. The move to the bench definitely seemed to light Smith's fire, because he played with far more verve than in recent matches.

So the question becomes - can we beat Wales? Surely. But this season has taught me to take nothing for granted. We will have to play well above our past two performances to give ourselves a chance, for surely Wales can smell Wallaby blood and will consider this possibly their best chance for some time to score a rare victory over the Australians - particularly in the cauldron of Millennium Stadium. Either way, I would venture that it is likely to be a game with few tries - and, given the rich tradition of attacking rugby wrought by Wallaby teams past, that is perhaps the saddest indictment of all against the current Wallaby incarnation.

- Dan Fowell