Italy v Australia - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: Wallaby head coach Joe Schmidt said he included flyhalf Carter Gordon in his starting line-up against Italy after being swayed by the 24-year-old’s own self-confidence.

It’s a potential banana skin of a match for Australia, who really must win to stay in the hunt for a top-six berth to guarantee themselves an easier draw next month for the 2027 World Cup.

Gordon will be thrust into his first Test since the World Cup with the code-hopping flyhalf charged with ‘running the show’ for the Wallabies in Udine.

He takes the No.10 jersey for Saturday’s Test from Tane Edmed, who’s benched following Australia’s lacklustre 7-25 defeat to England.

Eight-times capped Gordon, who’s signed with Rugby Australia and the Queensland Reds through to the end of 2028, had been struggling with a slight quad injury while being reintegrated into the 15-a-side game in training.

“He’s grown in confidence. He’s worked really hard behind the scenes, because it’s obviously a pivotal position, you tend to be the fulcrum of the team, the guy running the show a lot of the time,” said Schmidt.

“So, for us, Carter’s just gathered momentum through the last two weeks, and this is his opportunity to demonstrate where his starting point is for us.”

The preview continues below…

The No.10 spot has proved problematic, with no one having nailed down the position since the injury to Noah Lolesio, who had effectively taken ownership of the jersey this time last year on the November tour.

There are no guarantees for Gordon. With no Tom Lynagh nor Ben Donaldson available, Schmidt also revealed James O’Connor would be back in the mix for the next Test against Ireland.

Now into the three-week international window, the Wallabies are bolstered by the return of blindside flank Tom Hooper – but there’s no place yet for Exeter clubmate, the John Eales Medallist Len Ikitau, who’s been given more “breathing space” after a hectic schedule.

Flank Pete Samu will be on the bench for his first Test since 2023 following his spell with Bordeaux, while hooker Matt Faessler will start for the first time since the Lions series, having recovered from a calf injury.

The backline surprise is the inclusion of Brumbies wing Corey Toole ahead of Max Jorgensen, who Schmidt revealed had “had a viral, and was off-colour last week” against England.

Fellow wing Dylan Pietsch had also been under the weather, while flank Carlo Tizzano missed out because of a nagging knee problem.

“We probably didn’t get the best of continuity from Japan into the England game, but we’ve had continuity through the season, we should be able to hit the ground running and be able to perform,” said Schmidt, who’s out to avoid another shock defeat to the Azzurri as in their 27-28 loss in Florence three years ago.

“In the third game in this particular block, hopefully we’ll see a little bit more of that cohesion.”

They’ll be up against an Italian side featuring a couple of wings with an Australian flavour – the Melburnian Monty Ioane on the left and Louis Lynagh, the cosmopolitan son of former World Cup-winning Wallaby Michael Lynagh, on the other edge.

Meanwhile, Ange Capuozzo and Paolo Garbisi will make their Italy returns after missing out on the July action.

Toulouse back Capuozzo suffered a broken fibula in June, ruling him out of the tour of South Africa, where Italy lost twice to the Springboks.

Toulon playmaker Garbisi also missed that tour but will start at flyhalf on Saturday in Udine, where he will be joined in the halves by Exeter Chiefs’ Stephen Varney.

Players to watch

For Italy: Centre Tommaso Menoncello is one of the best in the business, and if he is given enough time and space to work with, he will run the show. Talking about space, the Wallabies will have a long evening if they are unable to keep Ange Capuozzo in check. He can create something out of nothing in open play. The Italians will also look to get physical up front, and players like Ross Vintcent and Niccolò Cannone can play a huge role in that department.

For Australia: There will be a huge spotlight on Carter Gordon, who will play for Australia for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He gets the No.10 jersey, and the Wallabies will need him to dictate play. Harry Potter, who scored Australia’s try against England at Twickenham, retains his spot on the left wing, as does Andrew Kellaway at fullback. Corey Toole has plenty of speed to cause chaos around Italy’s defence. The back-row combination of Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight and Tom Hooper looks excellent, and they will surely trouble the Italians around the breakdowns.

Prediction

Rugby365: Italy by four points.

Teams:

Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Ross Vintcent, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Leonardo Marin.

Australia: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Corey Toole, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell.
Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Aidan Ross, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Rob Valetini, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Filipo Daugunu.

Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Bluenergy Stadium, Udine
Kick-off: 18.40 (04.40 AEDT Sunday, November 9; 17.40 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be clear with light winds and a temperature of around 9°C.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Adam Leal (England), George Selwood (England)
TMO: Dan Jones (England)

Additional reporting @rugby365com