Wallabies humiliated in Italy as ill-discipline and errors gift advantage to hosts

The Wallabies last visited Italy three years ago, with the loss in Florence ultimately costing coach Dave Rennie his job. This year, a 26-19 defeat has cost the Wallabies something else, precious momentum for Australian rugby that was so hard won after the disastrous 2023 World Cup.

The historic victory against South Africa in Ellis Park and the resounding win in the third Test against the British and Irish Lions seemed desperately far away in the cold air of Udine in northern Italy.

In the post-match press conference, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt urged the Australian rugby public not to lose faith in the team.

“I believe in the group we’ve got, think there’s still a lot of work to do to get them to where they need to be,” Schmidt said.

“I’ve had lots of experience coaching a lot of Test matches and had teams that have been number one in the world and I know what it takes to get there, and I know the strength and depth that you need ... we’re setting about trying to build that.

“We’ll reflect on what we put out there tonight, what we can build on and what we need to make sure we improve upon.

“All I can say to people is that we believe in what we can deliver. Don’t lose faith because we will guarantee to keep working as hard as we can to try to demonstrate what it means to us to try to be as competitive as possible.”

The Wallabies arrived into Udine and were shown warm hospitality from a city delighted to host their Australian visitors. That hospitality ended as soon as the Wallabies entered the stadium, however. They faced a relentless and determined Italian team that punished Australian indiscipline ruthlessly. The Wallabies conceded 13 penalties to the Italians’ seven and also lost Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to a yellow card for a high tackle.

Schmidt was unhappy with his team’s discipline and highlighted Suaalii’s yellow card as “a turning point” in the game.

“We’ll have a look at some of those penalties, some of them we definitely have to sort out,” Schmidt said.

“The yellow card, Joseph has to go lower, he can’t afford to tackle up around. Even though the player is dropping, you can’t take that risk. You’ve got to go low, so some of those penalties are definitely on us and others we’ll have a closer look at.”

There was cruel irony that the two Italian try scorers, Louis Lynagh and Monty Ioane, were both Australian-qualified. They were just two parts of an Italian team that showed aggression in defence and adventure in attack. Paolo Garbisi was also lethal with the boot, kicking four penalties and two conversions. It proved easily enough to beat the Wallabies.

The last time the Wallabies lost in Italy, it was considered a shock. To describe this Italian win in the same terms would be disrespectful to a better team on the night.

Carter Gordon last played for the Wallabies as a replacement in the loss against Wales in the 2023 World Cup and showed flashes of his skill as a running playmaker, but there were also signs of rust kicking from hand, which had to be expected given his lengthy period outside of rugby.

In Udine, he endured a difficult start, getting caught in a tackle and with the ball bobbling on the floor, almost leading to an intercept try. Ultimately, Italy made do with kicking two penalties within 10 minutes through Garbisi, punishing Australian indiscipline that continued throughout the first-half.

The saving grace for the Wallabies was their pack, notably returning breakaway Tom Hooper who brought aggression in his carries, aligned with the fetching ability of Fraser McReight, whose two steals at the ruck largely kept Australia in the game.

Last Saturday in England, the Wallabies had conceded a 25-metre rolling maul. In Italy, Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler, on his first appearance since the British and Irish Lions first Test, muscled over for a desperately needed try.

A sniping run from Jake Gordon opened the Italian defence, providing the perfect platform for Angus Bell to rumble over from close range. A penalty for Tupou taking an Italian player off the ball was kicked over by Garbisi, cutting the Wallabies’ lead to three points, where the score stayed at half-time.

Garbisi converted his third penalty after captain Harry Wilson jumped across the lineout. Shortly after, Wilson lost possession when the ball was stripped by Zuliani. With the ball loose Carter Gordon picked it up and brilliantly stepped Italy’s Australia-raised Ioane. After a long deliberation with the TMO on whether Wilson had knocked on the ball, referee Andrew Brace gave the try, ruling that it was stripped. Boos rained down from the home crowd; the reaction from Italian coach Gonzalo Quesada was almost as furious.

Ultimately, the decision spurred Italy on. The Wallabies had been warned about their frequent indiscipline by referee Brace and Suaalii was duly yellow-carded for a high tackle, with Italian winger Lynagh then scoring in the corner, Garbisi calmly converting.

A man down, the Wallabies were completely stretched in defence, and Ioane cruised over for his side’s second try, to give a nine-point lead with 17 minutes to go. The Wallabies had a golden opportunity to cut the deficit, but were held up on the Italian line by a home side that grew in confidence with each passing minute.

Italy should have killed the game with a try on the 72nd minute after Filipo Daugunu’s pass was intercepted before Federico Ruzza knocked the ball on. It didn’t matter. Italy were not in any danger of losing the game and the stadium saluted the new heroes of Udine on the final whistle.

The Wallabies stood on the field stunned in defeat, wondering how the team that had won in Johannesburg had fallen so hard and so far. Stern challenges await in Ireland and France in the next two weeks.

The quest for a top six ranking ahead of the World Cup draw needs to be parked; the Wallabies simply need to find the confidence that has seemingly deserted them when they need it most.

Schmidt hasn’t ruled out bringing back veteran playmaker James O’Connor to the squad, with a decision to be made on Monday in Dublin, ahead of playing Ireland next Saturday. Schmidt remains searching for a sharpness in his team that has been so far absent in Europe.

“This low right now is tough and what I would say to the players is one of the best things about the tour is that they do have a chance to turn things around next week,” Schmidt said.

“We’re going to have to manage the fuel in the tank. I did think that we just didn’t look as sharp as we did earlier in the season and we’ve got to get that sharpness, that energy back, and we’ve got about 7½ hours’ travel to get to Dublin tomorrow.

“Maybe that’s a really light start to the week. Try to get one good training during the week and then try to hit the ground running in the Aviva Stadium.”