Italy vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis as Azzurri record first-ever win over Wallabies in Florence

Jonathan Burnett

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Italy vs. Australia result, highlights and analysis as Azzurri record first-ever win over Wallabies in Florence image

Italy recorded their first win over Australia in 19 attempts as they saw off a late rally from the Wallabies to win 28-27 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence.

The Azzurri, who were missing marquee fly-half Paolo Garbisi, made up for some wayward kicking off the tee with superb defence throughout and continued their progression up rugby's world-class ladder in 2022.

The hosts raced out of the blocks in a superb first half, the two teams trading points off the tee before Australia scrum-half Jake Gordon was sin-binned for a late tackle. During the 10 minutes of his absence, Italy scored twice, with Pierre Bruno finishing well in the corner before Ange Capuozzo glided through the backfield to open up a 14-point lead.

Australia hit back late in the first half, coming straight back at Italy as soon as they had 15 men on the pitch again. Gordon was instrumental as they spread the ball wide to the left, where Tom Wright dived over in the corner to finish acrobatically. Noah Lolesio's boot kept them within touching distance as Italy took a 17-8 lead into the break.

Australia's comeback didn't let up after half-time, either, as they retained possession in the second 40, culminating in another score from Fraser McReight. Italy hit back again, though, Capuozzo scything through the defence again to stroll over at the other end.

The last quarter of an hour was all Australia as their replacements came to the fore. Tom Robertson went over in the corner after Italy messed up from a penalty he conceded, and right at the death the Wallabies crossed once more through Cadeyrn Neville. This made the scores 28-27 in Italy's favour, and debutant fly-half Ben Donaldson, on for Lolesio, had the chance to win it, but he skewed his conversion wide, and just like that, Italy had their first win in their history over Australia.

Azzurri resurgence reaches new heights in Florence

Italy have already beaten Wales this year, finishing off their Six Nations campaign with a flourish. Australia's defeat sees the Azzurri claim their second scalp of 2022, with the win in Florence following up victory over South Africa at the same stadium in 2016. The Springboks are the side they face next, and although that will be another step up for this Italian side, they'll take so many positives from this game that, if implemented, could well give the Springboks a run for their money.

Wallabies must react to avoid wretched run

It's two losses from three games on Australia's European tour, with all three, including their victory over Scotland, being settled by a single point. The back-to-back losses to France and Italy show how important game management is in high-stakes Tests such as these, and Dave Rennie can't allow his players to think that Donaldson's missed conversion was the sole reason they lost. Ireland and Wales await the Wallabies in the coming weeks, and they'll need to remember how to make those crucial moments count if they're to prevent this tour becoming terrible.

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

Italy vs. Australia full-time score

  1H 2H FT
Italy 17 11 28
Australia 8 19 27

Tries: Bruno, Capuozzo (2); Wright, McReight, Robertson, Neville

Conversions: Allan (2); Lolesio (2)

Penalties: Allan (2), Padovani; Lolesio

Italy vs. Australia full commentary, highlights

FT: That's all from us regarding this game, and what a game it was! We'll be back next week as the Wallabies head to Ireland, looking to recover from two back-to-back, one-point defeats. Italy face South Africa, and will be looking to build on this historic result in Florence by doing the same to the Springboks in Genoa.

FT: What a result for Italy! They topple Australia for the first ever time in 19 total matches, and the Azzurri really had to dig deep for that! Australia's second-half fightback started early as McReight crashed over four minutes in, but Italy hit back through a second try for the superb Capuozzo. Australia weren't dead and buried though, as replacements Robertson and Neville crossed in the final few minutes, giving debutant Ben Donaldson a chance to win it off the tee. He couldn't convert though, and Italy held on to win by a single point!

80 mins: ITALY WIN!!! The debutant Donaldson's kick doesn't find the posts, and that means Italy win it by a point! What a result for the Azzurri, and they sneak home in Florence despite that late Neville try!

80 mins: TRY - Italy 28-27 Australia! The Wallabies get over late on!!! McDermott's pass out to Neville sees him bust through the line to score in the corner, and that brings the deficit ti just a single point as debutant Ben Donaldson steps up to win it!

78 mins: Australia charge straight at Italy as they look for that late try. Paisami and Tate McDermott both make half-breaks, but can't find a way through as the Wallabies gain a penalty.

75 mins: PENALTY - Italy 28-22 Australia! Australia are pinged for illegal play in a driving maul, and Padovani makes no mistake, dispatching the sideline kick and slotting three more points! Australia will probably need a converted try to win this one now!

72 mins: Replacement lock Caderyn Neville is penalised for a high tackle, and Italy have another shot at goal. With Allan off for a head injury assessment, Edoardo Padovani comes on to kick the goal, but his effort from long range is poor and hardly makes the distance!

68 mins: TRY - Italy 25-22 Australia! What a passage of play! Australia's substitute prop Tom Robertson is penalised for a cheap late shot, but Italy make a mess of the penalty and Hanigan latches onto the ball. Robertson is there for the offload, and slides over in the corner to hit straight back for the Wallabies! Lolesio adds the extras, and the deficit closes to three!

66 mins: TRY - Italy 25-15 Australia! That might just seal it! After Ioane makes a strong carry into the 22 off a line-out, Italy move their attack to the right. Two wrap-around passes from Brex, then Allan, puts Capuozzo through a hole, and the little full-back darts through the line to dive over and score! The Azzurri have a 10-point lead, but Allan's kick is again wayward and he can't add the two.

63 mins: A strong Italian scrum wins the hosts a penalty, but Allan can't get the long-distance kick on target as he drags it wide of the posts!

60 mins: Capuozzo bursts through the smallest of holes to race into the clear for the Azzurri, but after he's brought down by Paisami, Italy recycle possession, and the full-back drops the ball from the next play!

55 mins: Australia gain a penalty straight from kick-off and choose to kick to the corner, but they overshoot the line-out throw and Lucchesi dives on the ball, before bursting through the line and charging a good 40 metres before being brought down!

53 mins: PENALTY - Italy 20-15 Australia! Allan makes no mistake this time, kicking a perfect penalty after Skelton is penalised, and extending Italy's lead to five points!

51 mins: Allan kicks for the posts from that high shot on Brex, and thinks he's been successful, but the referee and touch judges disagree with him, meaning it's as you were on the scoreboard!

49 mins: Allan takes the crash ball off an Italian line-out and the hosts smash into the Wallabies' defence. Brex looks to bust through a hole, but is caught high and Italy can't make the advantage count.

44 mins: TRY - Italy 17-15 Australia! The Wallabies camp on the Italian line and hit their defence with big carry after big carry. They have penalty advantage once again and find McReight with a short ball, who crashes over from close range! Lolesio notches the extras, and narrows the gap down to two!

41 mins: Lolesio kicks off the second half for Australia, and we are back up and running in Florence!

HT: The Wallabies did recover following those two back-to-back tries from the hosts, but with a nine-point deficit, there's still a long way back for them in Florence. Italy have been superb in all facets of the game, with Wright's try in the corner the only time their defence has been opened up.

Watch Tom Wright's acrobatic try for Australia:

HT: Half-time called, and Italy have the lead over Australia at the break! After early penalties were scored by each side, Italy raced into a two-try lead following superb finishes from Bruno and Capuozzo in the corner. These both came with Wallabies scrum-half Jake Gordon in the sin bin, and upon his return the visitors clicked into gear, scoring an equally good try of their own through Tom Wright.

40 mins: A late charge from Australia sees them power towards the line from Skelton's offload, but Italy win a brilliant turnover as the half-time whistle goes!

39 mins: Negri steps behind the ruck and charges through the line, but the ball spills out as he goes to ground and the Wallabies will get it back!

35 mins: Australia look to create another overlap as the ball comes wide, and Hanigan finds Nawaqanitawase. Ioane flies across to pull off a fantastic tap tackle though, sending the Wallabies debutant into touch!

32 mins: TRY - Italy 17-8 Australia! The Wallabies respond aptly following a succession of penalties, and Lolesio throws it wide to Wright. He flies high to score acrobatically in the left corner, and narrows the gap for Australia! Despite having two attempts at the conversion due to an early encroachment by Italy, Lolesio can't add the extras.

27 mins: TRY - Italy 17-3 Australia! Italy are flying here! They turn the ball over and throw it right, passing the ball through the hands before it finds Capuozzo. He dummies to Bruno and bursts away to score, diving over in the corner for the Azzurri! Allan adds the extras, as the home side open up a two-try lead!

24 mins: Lamaro scoots out of the back of a maul and sends Lucchesi rampaging down the left flank towards the line. He's stopped short of it though, and good defence from Australia sees them turn the ball over.

20 mins: TRY - Italy 10-3 Australia! Another driving maul sees the Azzurri go close through Lucceshi, but after he's held up, Morisi lobs it wide to Bruno, who finishes expertly to score in the corner! That was some effort from the Italians, and Allan adds the extras to open up a seven-point lead!

18 mins: Lorenzo Cannone peels off a scrum and heads for the line, but is held up just short. Capuozzo chips to the corner for Bruno to score, but a cruel bounce sees Paisami come up with the ball instead!

16 mins: YELLOW CARD - Gordon hit Allan with a late shoulder there, and with no arms present in the tackle, the referee sends him to the sin bin for 10 minutes!

15 mins: Brilliant Italian defence forces Australia back, and Lolesio clears with a long kick. Ioane brings the ball back with interest, and steps through the defence before offloading to Allan. He kicks down the line, sending the ball over the sideline before ehe's smashed over the touchline by Gordon!

10 mins: Good play through the hands from Italy culminates in a penalty after Campbell enters the ruck illegally following Morris's carry, but Allan can't take the points as he drags his kick wide of the posts!

6 mins: PENALTY Italy 3-3 Australia. Australia gain penalty advantage following several huge carries toward the Italy line, but after they can't make their overlap count, play comes back and Lolesio notches three points to lock up the scores.

2 mins: PENALTY - Italy 3-0 Australia! An early infringement by the Wallabies is penalised, and Allan slots over three early points to put Italy into the lead!

Kick-off: Allan kicks off for Italy, and we are underway in this sun-lit test march in Florence!

5 mins to kick-off: Here come the two sides, and following two passionate renditions of the respective countries' national anthems, we'll be underway in Florence! Italy have been dealt a late blow though, with fly-half Paolo Garbisi pulling up injured in the warm up, so Tommaso Allan starts in his place.

10 mins to kick-off: We're just waiting on the entry of the teams as fans flock into the stadium, and will they be present to see Italy take another huge step towards regularly competing with the best of the best?

15 mins to kick-off: The stage is set at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, hosting international rugby for the first time since 2016 . On that day six years ago, Italy produced perhaps their biggest upset of all time, beating South Africa 20-18. An omen for Australia? We'll have to wait and see.

30 mins to kick-off: Italy have plenty of attacking strike of their own too, showcased by their 49-point victory over Samoa. Pierre Bruno crossed for two tries, as did his opposite winger, Melbourne born Monty Ioane. He's the nephew of Digby Ioane, who scored 11 tries in 35 matches for the Wallabies between 2007 and 2013.

45 mins to kick-off: Australia's first game of the autumn was also settled by a point, with Bernard Foley kicking a conversion and three penalties to score 11 of Australia's 16 points as they edged Scotland 16-15 at Murrayfield. There's no Foley in the Wallabies' matchday squad today though, with young Brumby Noah Lolesio starting at fly-half.

60 mins to kick-off: The Azzurri will be no easy beats for the Wallabies though, having smashed Samoa 49-17 last time out. They also recorded their first Six Nations victory since 2015 in the spring, and could pose this Wallabies side some serious questions, particularly out wide.

75 mins to kick-off: The Wallabies are wounded heading into this one, having had victory snatched away from them last weekend. Damian Penaud's spectacular individual try saw to that, crossing for five points late on to give France a 30-29 victory over the Australians.

90 mins to kick-off: Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this international rugby union test in Florence! Italy, who beat Samoa convincingly in Padua last weekend, welcome Australia, with the Wallabies having won and lost a game each so far this autumn.

The city of Florence plays host to Australia's third match of their 2022 end-of-year Tests as they take on Italy at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

The Wallabies' two matches prior to this have both gone down to the wire, first edging Scotland 16-15 at Murrayfield before Damian Penaud's last-gasp try consigned them to an agonising 30-29 loss to France in Saint-Denis.

On the other hand, Italy's autumn internationals got off to a flying start, with the Azzurri defeating Samoa 49-17 in Padua, scoring six tries in the process. Monty Ioane and Pierre Bruno both crossed for two each, while Tommaso Allan kicked 12 points as Kieran Crowley's men continued their positive campaign in 2022.

Australia's attack faltered all too often in Edinburgh as they scored just one try through captain James Slipper. The prop's five-pointer was crucial for the Wallabies and saw them win by a point, but in a game dominated by Scottish indiscipline, Dave Rennie's men could and arguably should have piled on far more points given the amount of possession and territory they were gifted.

Despite finishing bottom of the Six Nations table this year, Italy have made massive strides forward. They managed a first Six Nations victory since 2015 as they beat Wales 22-21 in Cardiff thanks to Edoardo Padovani's try right at the death. However, despite following this up with wins over Portugal and Romania in the summer, the Azzurri were defeated 28-19 by Georgia, the Eastern European nation's first-ever victory over a Tier 1 side.

Australia will look to take advantage of Italy's vulnerability, having more than fixed their attacking problems against France last weekend. A first-half move saw the Wallabies spring a 95-metre, coast-to-coast effort, surging into an early lead after Lalakai Foketi finished it off. However, France kept within touching distance, and the two sides wrestled over the lead until Penaud's late try broke Australian hearts.

MORE: "Let's not celebrate getting close" says Wallabies great after France defeat

Italy vs. Australia lineups

Pierre Bruno and Australia-born Monty Ioane keep their places out wide for the Azzurri. They're joined in the back three by the return of nimble full-back Ange Capuozzo, whose darting run and searing pace sparked the late try that saw Italy win their first Six Nations match in seven years against Wales.

Sebastian Negri picked up a neck injury during the Six Nations and finally makes his return to the side, packing down at blindside flanker alongside captain Michele Lamaro and Lorenzo Cannone, who also found the line against Samoa. Stephen Varney was man-of-the-match in Padua and keeps his place at scrum-half, playing alongside the golden boy of Italian rugby, Paolo Garbisi, in the No.10 shirt.

Italy XV: Ange Capuozzo, Pierre Bruno, Juan Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Monty Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone

Italy Replacements: Giacomo Nicotera, Ivan Nemer, Pietro Ceccarelli, David Sisi, Toa Halafihi, Alessandro Garbisi, Tommaso Allan, Tommaso Menoncello

Australia's length-of-the-pitch try set the Stade de France alight last weekend, but the man who scored it, Foketi, suffered an injury not long after and is absent from the 23 to face Italy. Hunter Paisami takes his place at inside centre, while Noah Lolesio comes in at 10 for Bernard Foley, who has kicked 27 of the 45 points scored by the Wallabies this autumn.

Tom Wright's electrifying charge down the left wing sparked Foketi's match-opening score, and the Wallabies' left-winger keeps his place. On the opposite wing is Mark Nawaqanitawase, who will make his international bow following a strong season with the Waratahs. Jock Campbell completes the back three, having scored Australia's second-half try against France on his first start in the No.15 jersey.

Australia XV: Jock Campbell, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Tom Wright, Noah Lolesio, Jake Gordon; Matt Gibbon, Folau Fainga'a, Allan Alaalatoa, Darcy Swain, Will Skelton, Ned Hanigan, Fraser McReight, Pete Samu

Australia Replacements: Lachlan Lonergan, Tom Robertson, Taniela Tupou, Kaderen Neville, Langi Gleeson, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson, Jordan Petaia

MORE: Your guide to the 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals

How to watch Italy vs. Australia

  UK Australia New Zealand US
TV channel - - Sky Sport -
Stream Amazon Prime Video Stan Sport Sky Sport website/app FloSports

UK: The Test match is available to stream via subscription service Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Australia: All matches in the Autumn Nations Series, as well as this Test, will be streamed via Stan Sport in Australia.

New Zealand: Sky Sport is the place to catch the end-of-year international matches.

USA: Subscription service FloSports has exclusive rights to the Autumn Nations Series with matches available to stream online.

What time is Italy vs. Australia?

Italy host Australia at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy on Saturday, November 12. The game kicks off at 1.00 p.m. GMT.

  UK Australia New Zealand USA
Date Sat, Nov. 12 Sun, Nov. 13 Sun, Nov. 12 Sat, Nov. 13
Time 13:00 GMT 00:00 AEDT 02:00 NZDT 08:00 ET

Italy vs. Australia odds

Italy may have won big against Samoa, but the Wallabies are an entirely different proposition, and that's reflected in the odds ahead of this game. An Australia victory is heavily predicted, with Sky Bet offering 1/12 on the Wallabies to win in Florence.

The Australian arm of Ladbrokes are slightly less confident, with their odds of 5.50 on an Italy victory being a touch shorter than the 6/1 offered by Sky Bet. 

  UK (Sky Bet) Australia (Ladbrokes) US (BetMGM)
Italy win 6/1 5.50 17/4
Australia win 1/12 1.11 1/7

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.