Rugby-We can rival the top teams, says France's Saint-Andre

PARIS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Three defeats against Australia had left France in a sorry state five months ago, but a 29-26 home win over the Wallabies on Saturday showed Les Bleus could still match the very best, according to coach Philippe Saint-Andre. Ten months before the World Cup, France followed up their 40-15 win against Fiji with an inspired performance against Australia with an unchanged team. "We showed that we can rival the best teams in the world," Saint-Andre, who has been tinkering with his halfback pairing for years but kept faith with Sebastien Tillous-Borde and Camille Lopez, told a news conference. France gave away too many penalties but made the most of their possession with winger Teddy Thomas, who bagged a hat- trick on his debut against Fiji last Saturday, scoring a super try after whizzing past six tacklers. "As a (former France) winger, I say 'Chapeau'," said Saint-Andre, enjoying France's first win against Australia since 2012. France have had a miserable year, finishing fourth in the Six Nations before conceding 95 points in three games against Australia in June. But the recent matches against Fiji and Australia, which will be followed by next Saturday's test against Argentina at the Stade de France, suggest the 2011 runners-up can not yet be ruled out of the pool of contenders for next year's World Cup. "Now we're going to celebrate and get back to work tomorrow morning," said Saint-Andre. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Mark Meadows)