THE Wallabies certainly know which Frenchman they have to contain. No surprises. It's Le Caveman.

Wallabies backrower Rocky Elsom revealed that Sebastien Chabal, known as the Caveman for his wild looks, had a special on-field presence during the first Test in Sydney.

The 30-year-old Chabal is clearly the team mentor, the experienced identity who the lesser-known figures in the French side look up to for guidance. That's not surprising considering that Chabal has been around the French team since 2000, and international experience is imperative when you consider that Australia boasted 372 more Test caps than their opponents on Saturday night.

"The big thing about Chabal when you are watching their team from up close on the field is that everything seems to revolve around him," Elsom said yesterday. "Even when he's not doing anything, he's telling blokes what to do. I can't understand exactly what he's saying, but you get the gist. And that's the big thing. When you see those type of guys in teams, in particular that team, and you see guys hanging off him and wanting to know what he thinks, you know he is such an important bloke for them."

Chabal was one of the more prominent French forwards in an often helter-skelter Test. This prompted every member of the Wallabies forward pack to keep one eye on the French No.4.

"You can get a big advantage over them by limiting his impact in the game," Elsom said. "Any player who has the respect of his team needs to be playing well."

One of the most important aspects of Australia's victory was their ability to stifle most of the French forward effort. Their work at the breakdown was again hazy, but at least they were creditable in the set-pieces, as they were in defence.

That was especially the case in the 21st minute when Elsom and fellow backrower Wycliff Palu combined to put a devastating tackle on fullback Pepito Elhorga, who required medical attention and was helped off the field, to be replaced by David Janin.

The Wallabies' only defensive lapse came in the 66th minute, when expressive winger Alexis Palisson left several forwards grabbing at thin air as he crossed the line. But overall, it was another exemplary defensive effort against a visiting team which, like Ireland in the previous Test, dominated possession. Ireland finished with 63 per cent possession, and France 54 per cent.

However, while the French missed 30 of their tackles, Australia were guilty of only a handful.

Maybe that's why the weary Wallabies weren't exactly in the mood for a lap of honour after their flawed victory.

"The Test was very physical and very taxing," Elsom said. "It was definitely a lot harder than the Ireland Test. They had the ball for a long time, and they played very expansively. That meant a lot of running. So I think the guys were genuinely fatigued after that one. You don't get blokes hanging off the rooftops when they are genuinely tired."

Genuinely tired, but genuinely respected by their opponents, including the Caveman. As French coach Marc Lievremont said: "When they were on a roll, they were the Wallabies of old."