Australia scored six tries to four to down France 37-31 in a classic attacking Test that ebbed and flowed throughout.

It was Sailor's pivotal second-half try, from a freakish Sharpe flick pass, that snuffed out a French charge in front of 50,826 Brisbane fans.

At the time, in the 52nd minute, the Wallabies were lucky to be clutching a 15-14 lead after Les Bleus centre Benoit Baby had just bombed a prime try-scoring opportunity at the other end.

The punishing effort of Sailor and Sharpe, who have left the Reds for NSW and the Western Force respectively, broke the thrill-a-minute game open.

Morgan Turinui and Jeremy Paul crossed in the same corner in quick succession to leave the Wallabies ahead 30-14 with 15 minutes left.

But the French, with their customary flair on show, threatened to rise from the dead with a Damien Traille try and two pressure goals from captain and standout player Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde.

It took an bewildering 76th minute try by Turinui, set up by Sailor and Paul, to finally kill off Les Bleus.

The final scoreline was a fair reflection of the breathtaking Test, one of pure exhilarating entertainment.

Wallabies maestro Stephen Larkham, who scored a brilliant first-half solo try and set up Turinui's first, was a deserved man-of-the-match.

Australia matched Les Bleus' attack-at-all-costs mentality, epitomised by a three-minutes of non-stop rugby that ended in Larkham's 60m run past three fatiguing defenders.

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