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Rugby Union

Giteau inspires record victory for Australians

05/07/2008

Australia completed a series victory with a devastating destruction of a weak French side in Brisbane. The 40-10 victory at the Suncorp Stadium is a record winning margin for the Wallabies against their French counterparts, and confirms a 2-0 series win.

Fly-half Matt Giteau was the architect of the destruction scoring 20 of his side’s 40 points, as well as helping create all four of their tries as the French were outclassed in all areas of the field.

The rampage began in just the seventh minute as Giteau fired a pinpoint crossfield ball for winger Peter Hynes to collect a cross the line unchallenged to score his first international try.

Giteau then brilliantly set up lock James Horwill for an extravagant score four minutes before the interval. It was a first half which had gone entirely the Australians’ way with Giteau converting both tries as well as landing four penalties to give his side a commanding interval lead.

France had made wholesale changes to their side which defeated 34-13 last week in Sydney but the alterations weren’t having the desired effect and they had a solitary Francois Trinh-Duc penalty to show for their first-half efforts.

The Australians took their foot off the pedal at the start of the second-half as the French dominated in terms of possession and territory. They couldn’t make it count however, and Australian replacement Ryan Cross scored two tries which were both laid on by the brilliant Giteau.

Trinh-Duc scored a last minute consolation try for the French, although it did little to disguise how thoroughly they had been defeated.
The one sour note for the Australians was a broken leg suffered by Cameron Shepherd who will now miss the Tri-Nation campaign which begins against World champions South Africa on July 19.