6 hours ago
3
July 18, 2026 — 10:48pm
Yes!
At long last, after no fewer than ten Tests when the Wallabies had proved themselves more than merely competitive against the best teams in the world, only to lose on nine occasions, this time – THIS TIME – they showed what they are capable of, by recording a wonderful 57-10 win over Italy.
And yes, of course, there will be those who downplay the victory by claiming that Italy is weak opposition. They are mistaken. Italy has regularly beaten Australia in recent years, and this very year have been good enough to beat Scotland and England. They went into this match as the bookies’ favourite. And the fact that in this match the Italians were desperate enough to have – I kid you not – a man sent off from the bench, says something of the energy they put into trying to stop our blokes.
But there was nothing they could do, as the Wallabies unleashed with such power and precision that they scored no fewer than nine tries, of which six were in the first half.
In terms of getting through mountains of work, the entire Wallaby forward pack looked like the Himalayas. Each and every one of them distinguished himself individually - in rushes, passes and tackles, with great set-pieces - while collectively, they were devastating in rolling mauls near the line which the Italians were powerless to stop.
The Everest in these Himalayas was second-rower Josh Canham, who scored three - count ’em THREE - great tries, while being very busy around the field beyond that. As to you, Allan Alaalatoa, that pass you crafted to help put fullback Tom Wright through the gap in the ninth minute, should see you kicked out of the Front-Rowers Club (Motto: “Scrums Are Us”) forevermore. What was that thing you unleashed? A double-shuffle-blind-sling-shot-flick-pass to put Wright through with nary a hand upon him. Who does that? Not props, that’s who! (But congratulations. If that was on my highlights reel, I’d stop it right there. Leave everyone stunned. The Italians were.) Yet another standout among the outstanding was Carlo Tizzano in the back row, who was, as he always is, busier than a one-legged man in a bum-kicking competition. As Kipling wrote, if the pack “charged of broke or cut, you could bet your bloomin’ nut”, Tizzano was ever and always right in the middle of it, including scoring a great try.
The backs?
If I can labour the simile for a moment longer, they were the shining stars above the Himalayas! They were slick, they were fast, their passing game was wonderful to watch. The pick of the bunch was Len Ikitau, who was constantly threatening the Italian line with his no-look flick-passes. Alex Jorgensen was also great, as was Harry Potter out on the other wing. Tom Wright at fullback was not a revelation, because we’ve seen it before, but he really has the potential to be world-class if he can just stay injury-free.
All up, it was a wonderful win, and precisely what the doctor ordered after a difficult winter so far.
One last thing.
As this is Joe Schmidt’s last Test in charge of the Wallabies, before handing over to Les Kiss, a word before you go, coach. Thank you. Yes, the last twelve months have been desperately disappointing with so many narrow losses. But you will nevertheless be well-remembered in these parts.
You inherited a rabble of rubble in the smoking ruins left by Eddie Jones catastrophic reign. You restored stability. You nurtured valuable talent – including Tizzano and Canham, and helped develop Harry Wilson into the outstanding captain he is. You presided over a Lions series where they went within a hair’s breadth of winning, and were the man coaching them when they shattered the Springboks, scoring 38 points in the second half. Your own highlights reel should start with that last one!
Most importantly, you have given all of us Wallaby supporters hope for next year’s home World Cup. We know there are great jigsaw pieces to go into this puzzle to make them look like world-beaters. They just need to learn how to put it together on the day. But you have left the team ten times stronger than when you found it.
Beyond all that, you were a fine rugby man, going above and beyond for the good of the game, giving time to coach juniors, attend rugby functions, and talk to supporters. Bravo, and go well.
And bravissimo, you Wallabies!
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