Rugby union test: Australia v Italy

The Wallabies’ defeat of Italy 40-27 in their rugby union Test followed a mere one-point lead.

Israel Folau of the Wallabies scores one of his tries during the Test match against Italy.

History will record that Australia maintained its 17-match unbeaten record against Italy with a 40-27 victory over the Azzurri in their rugby union Test at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, but it could have been closer. It could, indeed, have been a defeat.

As the clock clicked down to just four minutes remaining, the visitors trailed by only a point, 28-27, and Australia was facing the diabolical possibility of a second straight defeat, one which would have totally eclipsed the loss to Scotland last week.

But then, as he did so often during the 2015 World Cup, five-eighth Bernard Foley took matters into his own hands, scoring from close range before then contriving to create an overlap, with Dane Haylett-Petty’s help, for replacement winger Reece Hodge, who sped 50 metres for the sealer.

The final count of six tries to three looked convincing but the Italians were disallowed what looked like a certain try in the sixth minute when the television match official found a hair-splitting reason to disallow a touchdown by lock Dean Serge Budd.

The Australians hit back hard, scoring three long-range tries in the first half hour to lead by 21-6 but the Italian fightback began just short of halftime with an excellent try to outside centre Michele Campagnaro and then built as the second half unfolded.

A dominant Italian scrum saw the Australians pinned in their own territory and although they didn’t score directly from their set piece dominance, the Azzurri clawed their way back with two quickfire tries, one from a crossfield bomb to fullback fullback Edoardo Padovani, to other from an intercept by replacement back Tommaso Benvenuti.

After the social media-led diatribe against the Wallabies following the Scotland defeat, there’s likely to be another outpouring of anguish after this performance.

No-one could accuse the Australians of not trying, as “nobody fan” Jack Quigley did last week, but the ineptitude was at times painful.

Certainly Wallabies coach Michael Cheika felt that the performance was a significant improvement on the Scotland game.

“Yeah, from the things that are important to us right now … around the ruck and the ruck contest, yes, for our attack, yes, for our defence, yes, from the set piece, the scrum, no. Lineout was okay. I think for the things that are important to us, from a workrate perspective.

“We’re trying to do things off counter [attack] which are pretty obvious, that we’re trying to shift the ball and get it going. If we don’t start doing more of that work and bring the ball back instead of kicking it back …”

He let that thought hang in the air, but the clear message was the Australia needed to work much harder on counter-attack if they were to have any hope of having success – of any description – against their next opponents, the All Blacks.

Inside centre Karmichael Hunt insisted that if Australia repeated the performance against Italy when they meet New Zealand, they would surely be beaten. Cheika, however, wasn’t buying into that proposition.

“I think the idea for me as a coach is not to make that type of assumption…because it’s a nice statement for the paper. The idea for me is to say that the performance wasn’t up to winning that match, that’s for sure, but we’ve got to get our work right in the next six to eight weeks before that first Test to make sure we don’t play like that and we play much better.”

Italian coach Conor O’Shea, the former Irish international, could not disguise his pride at how far his team has come over the past three weeks while playing Scotland, Fiji and Australia. But he admitted his emotions were still raw after a match of such intensity.

“We get to within a point and we concede a penalty,” O’Shea said. “You’ve seen over three weeks how the team have improved.

“It would have been easy two or three times today for that team to say, look it’s the end of a long season, it’s the end of the tour and just roll over. But there’s the mentality that if we work hard and make the changes and we get the support we need, we will become a competitive country again.

“I’m gutted for them. The effort out there was incredible. We’re trying to play our way. We’re not trying to imitate anybody else.”

Match report

The Wallabies built a promising lead into a 40-27 defeat of Italy in their rugby union Test at Suncorp Stadium, despite a close call in the second half. Australia wrapped up the Test as the Wallabies scored two tries in the final four minutes.

With the side clinging to a one-point lead, Bernard Foley squared his shoulders, dummied to supporting flanker Ned Hanigan and stretched out in the tackle to plant the ball over the line.

His conversion of his own try effectively put the Wallabies beyond defeat but Reece Hodge gave Australia a 13-point advantage they perhaps didn’t deserve as he sped away at the death, following good lead-up work by Foley and Dane Haylett-Petty.

The Italians certainly gave the Wallabies plenty to think about in this Test, dominating the game in territory and possession.

They were eight points adrift going into the second half but most fair critics would suggest they should only have been a point behind.

Then in the second half it was game on as Italy scored their second and third tries and suddenly there was only one point in it at one stage.

The initial try had a distinctly Australian look about it as Tommaso Allan crosskicked for Michele Campanaro. Dane Haylett-Petty did well to defuse the bomb but then spilled the ball forward — straight into the arms of fullback Edoardo Padovani who dotted down for his first Test try.

And then — disaster. Rory Arnold’s pass deep within his own territory was intercepted by reserve back Tomasso Benvenuti, who dodged Haylett-Petty’s desperate tackle to crash over in Tatafu Polota-Nau’s tackle. Allan’s conversion made it 28-27.

The Australians scored three long-range tries in the first half, with fullback Israel Folau taking his tally of tries in just three June Tests to six.

Certainly the Wallabies were pushing the envelope as far as the offloads go but if they were to have any hope of troubling the All Blacks in Sydney on August 19, they had to keep looking for their support runners. A tantalising second half awaited. Indeed the Wallabies had lifted their lead to 28-13 early in the second.

Early in the match, there was a disgraceful decision from the television match official to disallow an Italian try on the grounds that the Italian winger Giovambattista Venditti had his right index finger on the ball when he passed infield to the man who crashed over, Dean Serge Budd.

The Italians utterly dominated the opening minutes of this Test, collecting a second- minute penalty after a blunder by Allan Alaalatoa in the exit from the kick-off.

Italy were 3-0 but extremely unfortunate not to be 8-0, even 10-0 in front.

The Aussies struck back with two outstanding tries in three and a half minutes, as winger Sefanaia Naivalu was put into the clear down the left flank by a brilliant pass from Rob Horne to score on the Wallabies’ first visit to the Italian 22.

And barely had the Italians absorbed that shock than the Australians were back again, Foley slipping an infield pass to Haylett-Petty who surged into the visitors’ 22.

Two phases later, Haylett-Petty had regained his place in the line and unloaded his pass to Folau for a try in the corner. Both tries were converted by Bernard Foley as Australia led 14-3 in the 17th minute.

It’s not just the Wallabies who scored sensational tries.

The Italians showed they too have the skills as they work an elaborate move from a centre-field scrum, with inside centre Tomasso Boni feeding the ball to winger Venditti, who slipped the ball to outside centre Campagnaro, who then shook free of the tackle of Will Genia to apply the afterburners.

Naivalu gave chase and most Australians expected him to make the tackle but Campagnaro showed tremendous pace to score. Tomasso Allan’s conversion made it a 21-13 ball game after 36 minutes. That, in fact, was the halftime score.

Budd’s touchdown from Venditti’s infield pass was so line-ball that surely the benefit of the doubt should go to the attacking side. But even so, they’ve fought back with an excellent try to Campagnaro.

Another outstanding try, their third, came earlier as the Australia extended their lead to 21-6.

The ball was tossed infield to no-one by the Italians and swooped on by Dane Haylett-Petty who instantly unloaded to flanker Ned Hanigan who displayed sublime skills as he put Hooper into the clear down the left flank.

There was a strong hit-up from Stephen Moore but it was the running left-to-right cut-out pass from Karmichael Hunt to Israel Folau that ultimately sealed the try. That’s two Tests in a row that Folau has scored a double.