Australia subdued Georgia at Stade de France to get their World Cup marketing campaign underneath manner and declare the primary win of coach Eddie Jones’ second stint within the job.

Efficiently negotiating their opener places Australia within the early lead in a pool that additionally accommodates Wales and Fiji, who meet in Bordeaux on Sunday.

Georgia, with a November 2022 victory over Wales on their file and the house followers’ help due to a 12-strong clutch of French-based gamers of their squad, had talked up the prospects of an upset.

Nonetheless, Australia have been too sturdy, structured and ruthless to get slowed down in a battle with the underdogs.

The power and velocity of Will Skelton, Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou and Richie Arnold stored up a provide of front-foot ball, whereas the onerous working of Samu Kerevi and, in notably, Marika Koroibete made inroads out huge.

Some wobbly kicking from hand from fly-half Carter Gordon will give Jones meals for thought having already stripped his solely specialist fly-half of duties off the tee, whereas scrum-half Tate McDermott’s obvious concussion – sustained in a collision with Beka Gorgadze’s knee – can be a priority.

Georgia can have a fortnight to assessment and reassess earlier than taking up Portugal, whereas Australia face Fiji, two locations above them on the planet rankings, subsequent.

Australia drew a few of the sting from the encounter inside two minutes as Nawaqanitawase’s drilled 50:22 gave them area place and Petaia twisted although the tackles of wing Akaki Tabutsadze and full-back Davit Niniashvili to attain.

Koroibete’s storming kick-return run arrange a second strive quickly after with Nawaqanitawase making the most of McDermott’s blind-side dart and Petaia’s deft offload.

Georgia’s hopes of dominating the scrum to realize a toehold within the sport got here to nothing as a super-sized Australia pack held agency and even pressured penalties of their very own.

Donaldson, in distinction to Gordon’s 20% success price within the Wallabies’ last warm-up Check towards France, proved dependable off the tee as Australia ticked alongside to 18-3 after 20 minutes.

Georgia stemmed the bleeding after which got here out fired up for the second half, with flanker Luka Ivanishvili loitering out huge to assemble an extended mis-pass and slide into the nook.

At 21-8 down, the underdogs belatedly and briefly started to snarl. Their resistance got here to an finish simply as their hopes have been highest nonetheless.

Niniashvili broke upfield to a roar from the group however, in need of help, he flung a unfastened move straight to Tupou who flipped a move over to Donaldson to hare up the opposite finish and land a killer sucker punch.

Donaldson picked his manner although an understaffed defence for a second as the sport ran out of steam with substitute Tengizi Zamtaradze late barge giving Georgia the ultimate say, however little else, from the competition.

Line-ups

Australia: Donaldson; Nawaqanitawase, Petaia, Kerevi, Koroibete; Gordon, McDermott; Bell, Porecki, Tupou, Arnold, Skelton (capt), Hooper, McReight, Valetini.

Replacements: Faessler, Schoupp, Nonggorr, Leota, Gleeson, White, Foketi, Vunivalu.

Georgia: Niniashvili; Tabutsadze, Tapladze, Sharikadze (capt), Modebadze; Matkava, Lobzhanidze; Abuladze, Mamukashvili, Papidze, Cheishvili, Mikautadze, Jalagonia, Ivanishvili, Gorgadze.

Replacements: Zamtaradze, Gogichashvili, Gigashvili, Jaiani, Tsutskiridze, Aprasidze, Abzhandadze, Kveseladze.