Italy sense an opportunity to break their run of losses against Australia when they meet an inexperienced Wallaby front-row in the return rugby Test match in Melbourne today.
The Wallabies scored five tries to one in a 31-8 victory over the Azzurri in Canberra last week, fielding close to their best side.
Coach Robbie Deans has drastically reshaped his team for the second international, with changes to eight personnel and three positions.
The Wallabies will go in with a novice front row of Ben Alexander, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Pek Cowan against one of the strongest-scrummaging teams in Europe.
On paper, Australia have won all their 11 internationals against the Italians, five of them at home, and the Six-Nations wooden-spooners have lost their last nine internationals.
But Italy coach Nick Mallett has renewed hope his forward pack can put the new Wallabies’ scrum under sustained pressure and deprive them of controlling the match as they did last weekend.
“I was happy with our scrummaging in Canberra,” Mallett said yesterday. “It was very even in the first half and we actually got a little bit of an edge in the second half. Unfortunately, we were put in a lot of pressure in the lineouts on our throw and that’s an area we’ve worked hard on this week.”
Italy pride themselves on their forward play and they made their presence felt against the Wallabies last weekend.
Italy’s Australian-born fullback, Luke McLean, believes the Azzurri will markedly improve today, citing defensive lapses as the prime reason for their first Test loss.
“We weren’t too happy with how we went in Canberra,” McLean said. “It was just simple errors. That is what we have to cut out. We are not a team which will score a lot of tries. So it is a case of cutting out errors. And when we do get the ball to attack off, we try to go out wide.”
Alexander, Polota-Nau and Cowan played together at Australian under-21 level in 2005, and each knows the other is up to the task.
Yet the pressure is definitely on Alexander, who has played mostly on the loose-head side but will play on the more demanding tight-head side against Italy.
“It’s not new to me any more, but starting this Test is still a big step in my progression and development at tight-head,” he said. “It will be tough because the Italy pack bring intent to every scrum. They just fire up and try to smash you any way they can. So we also have to bring that intent this weekend.”
Among the fringe players under scrutiny by Deans will be Quade Cooper, who will partner Ryan Cross in a new center pairing.
Cooper had a dream Test debut against Italy in Padova last November when he came off the bench and beat three defenders to score a match-winning try late in the game to break a 20-all deadlock.
Former Australian rugby league international Craig Gower has been retained at flyhalf in a redrafted Italian team.
He is one of only five players who started in the loss in Canberra.
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