Australia coach Tim Sheens claimed his side never got out of second gear despite cruising to a 42-4 win over France in their final Gillette Four Nations match before next Saturday's final.

The Kangaroos led only 8-0 at half-time but cut loose after the break with six second-half tries to book their place in the Elland Road decider.

Sheens admitted his side were made to work for their win by a battling France. "We expected a good hard game from them," he told BBC1.

"It was one of those games where we never got out of second gear. There was too much dropped ball and too many mistakes. But we got away with no injuries."

Centre Michael Jennings marked his debut with a hat-trick of tries to press his claims for a place in the Kangaroos' final team.

"We hadn't finalised the squad so we'll have a look at the game," said Sheens. "He'll come into consideration for sure."

Jennings said: "I just did my job, hopefully I'll get picked."