France face Australia for the first time since a tense and protracted stand-off emerged between the two unions over an unresolved match-fee dispute
Harry Brent Senior Sports Writer
09:30, 22 Nov 2025
Australia and France last faced each other in 2023
Excitement is in the air as France prepare to host Australia at the Stade de France on Saturday night.
The two nations have not met in more than two years – a gap marked by an unresolved dispute over match fees that escalated into a tense standoff and ultimately triggered a formal investigation.
Their last encounter came in August 2023, when France defeated Australia 41–17 in a warm-up match ahead of the Rugby World Cup. That result proved ominous for the Wallabies, who were eliminated in the pool stage of the tournament for the first time in their history just weeks later.
What no one foresaw, however, was the fallout that would unfold between Rugby Australia (RA) and the French Rugby Federation (FFR) in the months that followed the match.
France had reportedly agreed to pay Rugby Australia (RA) AUS$1.7 million (£800,000) for the fixture, but ultimately transferred just AUS$100,000 (£49,000), leaving the Australian union incensed.
The match itself had been arranged back in 2021, when former RA chairman Hamish McLennan and then-FFR president Bernard Laporte reached a verbal agreement on the AUS$1.7 million fee. Because the deal hadn’t been formally signed, the FFR later reneged on it following a change in leadership, igniting the controversy that followed.
Former president of the French Rugby Federation (FFR) Bernard Laporte stepped down after being convicted of corruption(Image: Getty Images)
Subsequently, RA turned to World Rugby to help chase down the match fee. The sport’s governing body is now serving as mediator between the two organisations in a bid to settle the matter.
“RA have been engaged in negotiations for over a year with FFR over the match fee owed for the fixture between France and the Wallabies played last August and are extremely keen to get the matter resolved and closed,” RA chief executive Phil Waugh said in November 2024. “RA will now engage with World Rugby so all parties can move on and work together in the spirit of the game.”
McLennan and Laporte had worked closely together to ensure France toured Australia in August 2021 in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those games provided vital revenue for the organisation, in what was ultimately a 2-1 series win for the Wallabies.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has sought help from World Rugby to resolve the matter(Image: Getty Images)
Laporte also played a key role in supporting Australia’s 2027 World Cup bid and had worked closely with RA on fixtures between the two countries. Before a written contract was agreed between the FFR and RA, Laporte stood down as president after receiving a two-year suspended sentence for corruption.
“When a new hierarchy comes into place – as at FFR – it sometimes creates a need to re-engage, which we have done,” Waugh added. “We are working constructively with the new leadership of FFR to finalise the pre-RWC match fee.
“The new chair of the FFR, Mr Florian Grill, has been heavily engaged in these discussions – we are looking forward to finalising the payment and continuing our strong relationship with the FFR.”
France have a strong recent record against Australia. They’ve won three of the last four ties between the two sides and victory on Saturday would mark three successive wins over the Aussies for the first time since 1976.