July 12, 2026 — 1:46pmThe weight of the Wallabies’ losing record during their past 10 Tests is a burden. You can tell from the words and the body language of the captain and coach that losing nine matches during that period is a source of stress.But if it inhibits them against Italy next week, there is a genuine chance Australia could go 0-3 in the July Test window after Saturday night’s 42-26 loss to France.Italy have their own issues in terms of injuries in the back three and a likely suspension for tough second-rower Niccolo Cannone after his red card against the All Blacks on Saturday. But they showed enough in the 47-17 loss in Wellington to have Joe Schmidt on edge. Immediately after the Brisbane Test he referenced Italy holding the All Blacks to 14-10 at half-time.Italy have an outstanding midfield, a good scrum and will be desperate to end their tour on a high after losses to Japan and the All Blacks. Those attributes alone will be enough to test the Wallabies, who struggled to get much impact from their bench for the second week in a row.Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will surely be restored to the squad as soon as Les Kiss takes over. It has been a tough introduction to Test rugby for Lachlan Shaw.Is it time to bring back Lolesio?It was a minor surprise to see Noah Lolesio omitted from the original squad after the Wallabies had invested so much in him in recent years. Schmidt clearly doesn’t think that the second tier of Japanese rugby is a good preparation for Test rugby, but it hasn’t stopped the Springboks from picking Manie Libbok from the same division.Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson contemplates another performance from his team that promised so much but ultimately delivered nothing.Getty ImagesBrumbies playmaker Declan Meredith produced a decent first-up effort in Brisbane, but the Wallabies are clearly light in the position and calf injuries – suffered by No.10s Ben Donaldson and Carter Gordon – are notoriously tricky to manage.Lolesio already has a combination with Wallabies halfback Ryan Lonergan from their time at the Brumbies, so he should be able to slot in without too much trouble. Lonergan, meanwhile, has been one of the big positives from the past two Tests.France, Boks on top of the worldLes Bleus’ performance in Brisbane wasn’t a surprise – their 42 points was almost bang on their average score this year. They are an attacking machine, and it was clear from the opening minutes of the second half that they had received a rev-up from their coaches during the break when they trailed 21-12.France’s Maxime Lucu congratulates Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang after scoring a try against the Wallabies.Getty ImagesBy their own lofty standards, the French were off the pace in the first half and possibly surprised by the Wallabies’ aggression in contact. But the way they spread the ball in the second half was superb, stretching the Wallabies right across the field, and it reinforced that the way they game is coached and played in France has moved beyond what we are seeing in Super Rugby Pacific.They have almost gone back in time to go forward, ignoring the predictable modern “pod” system of forwards to simply back their skills and fitness levels to find space. And they are young – their oldest loose forward in Brisbane was 23 years old.France and the Springboks already look on track to contest the first Nations Championship final later this year.The Wallabies, and Fraser McReight in particular, were great in the first half. But you can’t take your foot off the gas against top teams like France.Getty ImagesWallabies can’t defend a leadAs outlined above, it is not easy defending against this French team. They are a classy outfit and the threats come from everywhere.It took a sensational effort from Wallabies flanker Fraser McReight to disrupt their flow for about 50 minutes. However, even in the first 10 minutes of the second half the Wallabies showed signs of duress.They were pinned back in their own half and looked happy just to clear the ball away from their line. To a degree, they invited wave after wave of French attack, and it was a shift from the first half when the Wallabies showed so much positive intent and energy with the ball in hand.It was arguably the most important lesson to take away from the Test: the Wallabies need to keep playing even when they have worked themselves into a good position. A 21-12 lead doesn’t count for a lot in Test rugby at present.Rennie has inherited Razor’s issuesThe All Blacks won convincingly against Italy, but they didn’t look convincing for large parts of that Test. In fact, the issues that dogged the Scott “Razor” Robertson era are all still there in the early parts of Dave Rennie’s rein, even if a lot of New Zealanders don’t want to admit it.There were moments of poor skill execution under pressure, an unconvincing scrum and defensive misses against a fired-up opponent. You can change coaches, but if the players are the same, can you reasonably expect a vastly different outcome?Rennie has an awful lot of work to do to get the All Blacks back to the top of the world and, tellingly, they have been priced at $8 by the Kiwi bookies to win their series against the Springboks.There was an awful lot of hyperbole about the Hurricanes’ Super Rugby victory – some were calling them the greatest side Super Rugby has ever produced – but the realities of modern Test rugby are starting to hit home before the big game against Ireland at Eden Park on Saturday.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.Paul Cully is a rugby columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners