Italy claimed another landmark win over Australia, beating the Wallabies 26–19 in Udine on Saturday. The result confirmed the Azzurri’s 2022 rugby triumph in Florence was no one-off, marking their second-ever victory over the southern hemisphere giants in 22 meetings.
Two players with Australian roots led Italy’s comeback. Louis Lynagh — son of Wallabies legend Michael Lynagh — and Melbourne-born Monty Ioane, nephew of former Australia winger Digby Ioane, scored back-to-back tries in the second half to seal the win.
“This team has reached the point of maturity where it can win matches it wouldn’t have won a few years ago,” said Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada. He added that the team’s progress began before his arrival. “We didn’t need the perfect match, we needed to trust the process. Even with mistakes, avoidable fouls, and difficulties with throw-ins, we won. This is a huge step for the team, which needed confidence.”
Australia, coming off a 25–7 loss to England, had hoped to rebound with the inclusion of Tom Hooper and Carter Gordon. But the Wallabies struggled again, and head coach Joe Schmidt admitted concern about his side’s form. “That’s a dip we can’t afford to have and we’ve got two massive games coming up now,” he told Stan Sport. “We’ll have to recuperate and throw everything into the Irish game.”
How the match progressed
Italy took an early lead through two Paolo Garbisi penalties, before Australia hit back with tries from Matt Faessler and Angus Bell to go ahead 12–6 at halftime. Garbisi’s accuracy kept Italy in touch, but the Wallabies appeared to take control when Gordon scored on his return to Test rugby.
Momentum then shifted after Australian centre Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i received a yellow card for a high tackle on Garbisi in the 58th minute. Lynagh’s converted try levelled the score, and minutes later scrum-half Stephen Varney broke through to set up Ioane for the winning try.
Australia pressed hard in the final stages. Billy Pollard was held up over the line and Rob Valetini forced a turnover, but Italy held firm. Lorenzo Cannone’s crucial steal in the final minutes secured a famous rugby victory for the home side.
The Men’s Rugby World Cup will be held in Australia in 2027. Italy qualified through their performance in the 2023 World Cup.
