The Wallabies and France are on the same path after World Cup failure, writes Rupert Guinness.

Put the French and Australian teams in one room and lock the door and the odds are there would be an exchange of vacant stares and the shrugging of shoulders before both sides turned to chat among themselves in their own languages.

But there is a lot more in common between the rugby teams of these two nations than that would suggest. And it is not just because of what may have been had French explorer Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de La Perouse, landed at Botany Bay six days earlier than January 26, 1788 to beat Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet. There is also a synergy between the two nations that is very much defined in rugby terms, too.

The Wallabies and France were the only sides to beat the world-No.1-ranked All Blacks last year - the Wallabies winning 20-15 in Melbourne on June 30, and France sneaking home 20-18 in the World Cup quarter-final upset in Cardiff.

Both nations were also stung by the humiliation of their elimination by England from last year's World Cup. And, more significantly, both are now embarking on a new era that is trying to recapture the 1980s and 1990s, when both sides honoured their tradition of playing fast, free-flowing running rugby that relies on instinct.

It is coincidental that it took failure at the World Cup to put the two countries on the same path of renaissance that both hope will lead them to victory in the 2011 version in New Zealand. If truth be known, the similar circumstances both sides are dealing with have not been lost on each other. Both teams have new coaches, new players, new combinations, new game styles and, importantly, new spirit.

"It is a new era. The French and Australian teams have changed coaches. There is a new system of game coming in," says centre Damien Traille, the sole survivor of the French XV that lost the World Cup semi-final.

"There are new players in each team because generally after a World Cup players retire or are unavailable. The Australian and French teams had indifferent World Cups, but they are now moving on to something else."

The Wallabies revival under new coach Robbie Deans has only just begun, but France are six months into theirs. Les Bleus had a list of retirements from Test rugby to kickstart it, with second-rower Fabien Pelous, hooker Raphael Ibanez, back-rower Serge Betsen and winger Christophe Dominici the biggest names. But while France arrived in Australia for this two-Test tour that begins tomorrow night in Sydney without many of their stars due to the clash with the domestic Top 14 finals in France, they are clearly relishing the new dawn.

Leading the way for French revival is coach Marc Lievremont, a former Test back-rower who was born in Dakar, Senegal. The 39-year-old earned 25 Test caps for France between 1995 and 1999.

The appointment of Lievremont, a father of eight and whose younger brother Matthieu will be on the bench for France tomorrow night, was a clear message from the Federation Francaise de Rugby that change was needed.

It was felt that France stagnated under their autocratic World Cup coach Bernard Laporte - aka "Bernie le Dingue" (Mad Bernie) - who quit after eight years to become Secretary of State for Sport in the French Government.

Lievremont was quick to pledge that change would come, saying in January just before this year's Six Nations tournament: "We want to put into action a game deliberately expansive and even excessive."

Lievremont's coaching and management panel still includes long-serving manager Jo Maso and English-born David Ellis as defence coach, but otherwise it has been restructured.

Lievremont's principal wingmen are Emile Ntamack (backs coach) and Didier Retier (forwards coach). The pair worked together as co-coaches of the French under 21s side in 2006 - and thus had first-hand experience of the talent pool that Lievremont would be tapping with his eye on the future. He also swiftly brought in new leadership among the players. He appointed second-rower Lionel Nallet as captain. And in his first Six Nations team, only 11 of France's 30-man World Cup squad made the side. Six of the 22 players were rookies.

But this year, the French side are undergoing a transition phase, much like the Wallabies, who named seven first-timers in their first 30-man squad after the Super 14 finished on May 31. Traille, at age 29 and with 63 caps, was a key figure in the old regime but is excited by the new dawn.

"I have been in a team that has made a lot of campaigns and created its own history," Traille says. "But now it is a younger team and we want to create our own history."

Back-rower Imanol Harinordoquy, 28 and with 45 caps, has embraced the overhaul.

"It is now another game built on initiative, not on failure but experimentation," he says of Lievremont's philosophy.

"We have worked a lot on the state of spirit, to bring back the enthusiasm and create a strong group spirit. It has given me a fresh start to go and challenge myself. It's always interesting in sport, to do something new."