July 9, 2026 — 4:45pmThe trio of Australian-raised players who will line up for Les Bleus against the Wallabies on Saturday say they are motivated by the opportunity to show gratitude to French rugby for changing their lives.In an unusual twist for the showdown at Suncorp Stadium, three Aussies will be wearing the famous blue jersey of France on “home” soil: former Brumby and Waratah Tom Staniforth, and Brisbane-raised pair Manny Meafou and Moses Alo-Emile.Tom Staniforth, Manny Meafou and Moses Alo-Emile all grew up playing rugby in Australia. But they’re now proud members of the France team.Artwork: Monique WestermannAlo-Emile, 26, will be making his Test debut in front of friends and family, nine years after the 130kg prop finished at Brisbane State High School and moved to France to join his brother Paul at the Stade Francais club.Like Alo-Emile, Meafou played for Queensland schools after growing up in Ipswich but moved to France in 2018 when he couldn’t get a start with any Super Rugby clubs. After turning down a belated approach from the Wallabies in 2023, the giant 145kg Toulouse lock has since played 16 Tests and faced the Wallabies in France, but never in Australia.Staniforth will be playing in his second Test after making his debut in emotional scenes last week against the All Blacks. The 31-year-old from Canberra took a slightly different path to the others, having played for the Brumbies and Waratahs before moving to France in 2021 to play for Castres.All three became eligible to play for France after living there for five years, and now as fluent French speakers, they will be belting out La Marseillaise in Brisbane on Saturday night.“We are in my home, in Brisbane – it’s really a strange feeling,” Alo-Emile said this week.“But at the same time, it’s a big honour to wear this [French] jersey. I already imagined if I could wear the blue jersey, so to see Emmanuel Meafou and even Tom Staniforth [play] last week – it was always a dream for me to wear this jersey.”Alo-Emile played for the Australian schoolboys A team in 2017 when Wallaby Angus Bell was one of the props ahead of him. With his brother Paul captaining Stade Francais at the time, the Paris club offered Moses a spot in their academy. He progressed to the senior squad and has since played 140 games for Stade Francais.Tom Staniforth takes on the All Blacks.Getty Images“It’s France that gave me a chance, an opportunity for me to play professionally, so I want to give everything for this jersey,” Alo-Emile said. “I left when I was 18 years old, so I feel more French than Australian. I spent my entire professional career in France. So I only know the French system, not the Australian system.”Meafou said he had been scrambling to source enough tickets for family and friends.“I’ve never ever played at Suncorp, which is something I’m looking forward to,” he said. “I haven’t played any kind of professional rugby here in Australia, so it’s interesting and super cool.“It’s really a privilege to now play in front of friends and family, but in a different jersey.”A clip of Staniforth giving an emotional speech in good French after his debut against the All Blacks – complete with note-perfect swearing and a blond mullet poking out the back of his Test cap – has gone viral in the rugby world this week.“It was really emotional because, for one, to reach this goal and to be able to play with this group of guys at the level of rugby they play is really special,” Staniforth said.“But also because I had my family there – my wife, my kids, my mom and dad. Growing up, they sacrificed heaps for me. And moving to France with my wife [Marney], having the kids there and everything she has done for me since we’ve been together ... to have them all there in that moment, it was just really, really special, to be honest. It just got me.”Staniforth, who played for the Junior Wallabies and made his debut for the Brumbies at Suncorp in 2014, said it was strange walking familiar Brisbane streets with his teammates, but now speaking French.“It’s really cool to be back. I get to have a few chicken parmis and a bit of Aussie pub food, which is always good,” Staniforth said. “But no, I’m just really grateful to be here.“Every Test match is special, and I’ll always be grateful for what French rugby, the national team and the Top 14 have given me.“The stuff they’ve given me is really special; it’s changed the course of my life.“To be able to, in some way, show that and repay them in some shape or form is really special to me because I get to show them how much I appreciate what they’ve done for us.”Stan Sport is the only place to watch every match of the Nations Championship live and on demand. Wallabies matches are also available live on Nine and 9Now.Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners