The star-studded Junior Kangaroos ripped apart a French side lacking top-flight experience in a 62-4 romp at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Friday afternoon.
Fielding an "Australia A" team of NRL guns after the Junior Kangaroos age limit was changed from under-20s to 23s, the men in green and gold barely had to break out of a canter.
Campbell Graham bagged a hat-trick while man of the match Victor Radley, Zac Lomax and Ryan Papenhuyzen collected doubles in the curtain-raiser to the women's and men's Trans-Tasman Tests.
Lomax also booted five conversions for a personal haul of 18 points, with Reuben Garrick landing two goals as well.
Junior Kangaroos captain and Test hopeful David Fifita was forced to undergo a head injury assessment after being split open but returned in the second term having been taped up.
While France was classed as a senior team, most of their Super League talent didn't make the make the trip Down Under.
Match: Junior Kangaroos v France
Round 2 -
home Team
Junior Kangaroos
away Team
France
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Australia kicked out on the full to start the match but that was the only time France had the upper hand as the heavy favourites soon clicked into gear.
Wearing the No.6, Kalyn Ponga produced the first of several try assists with a lovely short ball to Brian Kelly.
France were left with three players on the bench after hooker Charles Bouzinac succumbed to an arm injury in the seventh minute.
The tourists' pain was compounded when Junior Kangaroos lock Radley pounced on a Brodie Croft grubber to score and then powered in for his second try shortly afterwards.
Ponga next set up a rampaging Fifita before Papenhuyzen gleefully accepted a clever Corey Horsburgh offload to fly 70 metres to the line.
Papenhuyzen scores from inside his own half
Lomax found try-scoring form with a quickfire brace before Papenhuyzen put an exclamation mark on the half to give Australia a 42-0 lead.
The onslaught continued when play resumed, Campbell Graham crossing twice in 10 minutes to push the Junior Kangaroos past a half-century.
Horsburgh nabbed a four-pointer before France finally troubled the scoreboard attendants through Mathieu Jussaume.
Interchange dynamo AJ Brimson sliced into the clear to provide Graham his third four-pointer to cap off the one-sided showing.
