IT
EN
Italy’s summer tour ends the hard way: at Perth’s HBF Stadium, Australia win 57-10, nine tries to two, handing Joe Schmidt a five-point farewell in his final match as Wallabies head coach. For the Azzurri — a third defeat in three Nations Championship rounds — it is the snapshot of a tour that ends pointless, and of a night when almost nothing worked.
Let us say it: we are disappointed. We are deeply disappointed by Italy’s performance today.
That was DanPat’s instant reaction, and the pitch backed him up: this time there wasn’t even the consolation of Wellington’s forty good minutes.
A nightmare first half: 38-5
Australia flew out of the blocks: Josh Canham touched down in the corner on 4 minutes after the Italian defence had resisted more than ten phases, then Italy’s indiscipline — four penalties in the opening eight minutes — opened the door. Wright hit the space for 12-0, and hooker Paenga-Amosa finished off the forwards’ work for 19-0 after just eleven minutes.
Italy’s response was a good one: a scrum penalty won by Riccioni, a long multi-phase attack, Paolo Garbisi and Riccioni playing wide to Pani and captain Lamaro holding off Potter to ground the ball for 19-5 (Garbisi’s conversion hit the post). But it was an isolated spark: Canham grabbed his second on 27 minutes, Paenga-Amosa doubled up on 31 and Ikitau made it 38-5 on the stroke of half-time. Six tries conceded in forty minutes — for DanPat, one of the worst halves Italy have played in years.
The second half: Ioane’s try and little else
The restart briefly flattered Italy: a lovely Brex pass sent Ioane through Wright’s tackle for 38-10. The momentum never shifted, though: Canham completed the hat-trick that earned him player of the match, Pollard scored off a driving maul, and on 66 minutes Riccioni was shown red for a hit on Amatosero after a flashpoint with Fischetti — an incident DanPat files under “the least of today’s problems”. Italy came close to a third try at the death, but Dimcheff lost the ball just short of the line, and Donaldson closed the account at 57-10.
The numbers behind the surrender
The broadcast statistics tell of total control: 11 line breaks conceded to 1, 63% possession against, roughly double the carries (163 to 84) and 233 post-contact metres against 94, with around forty missed Italian tackles. Broadcast-graphic numbers, to be treated as indicative — but the direction is unmistakable and matches the official report: Australia won every collision, recycled faster, and broke the line whenever they pleased.
Within the wreckage, DanPat’s positives are individual: two lineouts stolen by Federico Ruzza and the defensive numbers of those who put their body on the line — Vintcent past thirty tackles, Marini on twenty-five, Lucchesi over twenty.
Why did Italy suffer so much?
In DanPat’s analysis, the game comes down to the Wallabies’ physical tempo: a faster recycle, Italian support players systematically late, imprecise cleaning of the contact area and a defence conceding ground at every collision. It is the same problem seen against Japan, amplified here by an Australian back row — with Tizzano outstanding in front of his home crowd — that owned the breakdown from first whistle to last.
The balance sheet: from Udine to Perth
For DanPat, Ridley’s refereeing this time was “fair and even-handed”: no alibis. What remains is the balance of a season that could have been memorable — wins over Australia in Udine, England and Scotland, dignified performances against South Africa and New Zealand — and instead closes with Cardiff, the Japan defeat and the Perth surrender on the other side of the scale. The closing warning is blunt: if the benchmark is competing with the best, what this tour showed is not enough.
The Nations Championship returns in November with South Africa, Australia and Fiji before the Twickenham finals: three months to rediscover, with Quesada back in the box, the team we saw in Udine.
Read more
- Australia v Italy: nine changes — the match preview
- Quesada banned for two matches
- A great first half is not enough: All Blacks win 47-17
Disappointed too, or do you see something worth keeping? Tell us in the comments and subscribe to the DanPat Rugby channel: the season is over, the rugby content isn’t.
DANPAT Rugby