Wallabies make five changes for Italy Test

The Wallabies have made five changes to their starting line-up for Saturday's Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series Test against Italy at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, with Captain George Gregan returning in the Number 9 jersey for his 12th season of international rugby.

Fullback Mat Rogers will start in a Test match for the first time since the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final after Chris Latham was ruled unavailable for selection this morning with a hamstring strain.

Rogers' promotion to the starting lineup will see Mark Gerrard selected in the 22 for the second time, with the utility outside back still to make his Test debut.

Gregan joins prop Al Baxter in the run on side, after the pair were unavailable for selection for the first Test through injury, while flyhalf Stephen Larkham will start in a Test for the first time this year and winger Lote Tuqiri is back from suspension.

Larkham and Nathan Sharpe have been named as the two vice captains while Melbourne born blindside flanker Rocky Elsom maintains his place at Number 6 with George Smith and David Lyons in the backrow.

Prop Matt Dunning moves onto the reserves bench with the return of Baxter, while Chris Whitaker will line-up as the reserve scrumhalf.

With Larkham at flyhalf, Matt Giteau will move to inside centre linking up with Stirling Mortlock, pushing Morgan Turinui onto the reserves bench.

Wallaby Coach Eddie Jones, says the return of four starting players, with plenty of experience, will be important against an in form and buoyant Italy.

"To defeat Argentina in Argentina is one of the more difficult tasks in international rugby. The Italians will be absolutely buoyed by the victory, and keen to continue the success under a new Coach in Pierre Berbizier," said Jones.

"For us it's good to have a number of players back in the selection mix, both at Test level and for Australia A, who play the Junior All Blacks on Sunday.

"The younger guys are getting good opportunities to perform against international opposition, while the experienced players also realise there is plenty of competition for selection at the moment."

"We've worked very hard over the two weeks leading into this Test and the players have prepared well. We're focussed on playing a physical game and there is plenty of ambition going into Saturday's Test."

The Wallabies will arrive in Melbourne this afternoon before finalising preparations for the Test match on Friday with a Captain's Run at the Telstra Dome.

Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series
Australia vs Italy
Telstra Dome, Melbourne
Saturday 25 June
Kick Off: 3:00pm
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland).

Wallabies
(Australian Test No. 442)

Front Row:
1. Bill Young, 3. Al Baxter, 17. Matt Dunning

Hookers:
2. Jeremy Paul, 16. Stephen Moore

Locks:
4. Mark Chisholm, 5. Nathan Sharpe (vc), 18. Hugh McMeniman

Back Row:
6. Rocky Elsom, 7. George Smith, 8. David Lyons, 19. John Roe

Halves:
9. George Gregan (c), 10. Stephen Larkham

Centres:
12. Matt Giteau, 13. Stirling Mortlock, 20. Chris Whitaker, 21. Morgan Turinui

Wingers:
11. Lote Tuqiri, 14. Wendell Sailor

Full Backs:
15. Mat Rogers, 22. Mark Gerrard *d

23rd Man: Scott Fava

Coach: Eddie Jones

KEY:
(c) Captain
(vc) Vice Captain
*d - First time in the 22.

Unavailable for selection due to injury:

Brendan Cannon, Daniel Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Stephen Hoiles, Clyde Rathbone and Chris Latham.

Wallabies vs Italy - A Brief History

Played 7: Australia 7, Italy 0.

1983: Wallabies defeat Azzurri in Tour Opener

The first official Test match between Australia and Italy ‘the Azzurri’ was played on October 22, 1983 in the North Eastern Italian town of Rovigo, near Venice.

It was the opening Test of the 1983 Spring Tour with Australia running in five tries to one including a double to outside centre Michael Hawker.

Mark Ella captained the Wallabies, for his 15th Test cap while, Queensland hooker and former Reds Coach Mark McBain made his Australian debut in front of a modest crowd of 6,500.

Queensland and Test Winger Brendan Moon, scored his 12th try in only his 24th Test, while David Campese made the most of the goal kicking duties with three conversions and a penalty goal.

The victory would prove to be Australia’s only Test triumph on the 1983 Spring Tour, drawing with France in their next match 15 all, and then going down to the French in Paris 15-6.

1986: Victory over Italy kicks off a memorable season

The 1986 Test season saw the Wallabies win six of their seven Tests including a 2-1 series victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand for the Bledisloe Cup.

Kicking off the year against Italy in Brisbane, the Wallabies ran in six tries to two in front of a 10,000 strong Ballymore crowd, with winger David Campese scoring a double.

Campo’s two tries extended his tally to 15 from only 21 Tests while captain and Queenslander Andrew Slack returned from injury to lead the side out for opening Test of the season.

1988: Hat-tricks a plenty on the wings in Roma

Wallaby wingers David Campese and Acura Niuqila both scored hat-tricks in Australia’s nine tries to nil, 55-6 victory over Italy in Rome.

While Campese, playing his 42nd Test for Australia, continued to be recognized as a try scorer of note after an incredible solo effort against the Barbarians at Cardiff arms a week earlier.

His wing partner Acura Niuqila was a tour debutante in 1988.

Having played five Tests for his native Fiji, Niuqila settled in Sydney playing flyhalf and fullback for Randwick before being picked for the Spring Tour of Italy and the UK as a winger.

He played a total of three Tests for Australia, and his hat-trick against Italy means he’s one of few Wallabies to average a try in each Test.

1994: Gregan debuts as Wallabies hold off determined Italians

Trailing 11-10 at half time and then with the scores locked at 20-all with five minutes to go, replacement flyhalf Tim Wallace, on debut, kicked a penalty goal to ensure Australia maintained an unbeaten run against Italy in 1994.

With Wallace replacing captain and flyhalf Michael Lynagh, and scrumhalf George Gregan also making his debut in the Number 9, Australia escaped with a close 23-20 victory over Italy, in front of more than 20,000 at Ballymore in Brisbane.

Italian scrumhalf Alessandro Troncon, who has gone to play more than 80 Tests for the Azzurri, lined up against Gregan and in the 57th minute took a quick tap off a penalty, rather than opting for goal.

The goal certainly could have proved important late in the game, and the three point difference is still the closest the Italians have come to defeating the Wallabies.

1994: Melbourne hosts Test Rugby for the first time in 33 years

Rain and a reported four degrees may have kept Melbourne’s Olympic Park crowd down to just over 15,000 but for the Victorian Rugby public the Australia v Italy Test was the first South of the Murray since 1961.

Tim Wallace started at flyhalf and kicked five penalty goals to add to his conversion and penalty from the first Test against Italy, while winger David Campese continued his good try scoring run against the Italians with the only five-pointer coming in the 75th minute.

In the wet conditions Campese slid across in the left hand corner, and while television replays suggested he may have gone into touch before scoring, the introduction of a Television Match Official (TMO) was still six years away.

While the Melbourne experiment may not have been the most spectacular Test in living memory, it was certainly more entertaining than the 3 all draw between Australia and Fiji in 1961 at Olympic Park.

1996: Heritage plays a part in 100th Cap for Campo

It was the opening match of the 1996 Spring Tour, the first time Australia and Italy had met since the game turned professional, the Test debut for Queensland-cum-Brumbies flanker Brett Robinson, and another strong victory over the Azzurri for the Wallabies.

But for the 7,000 strong crowd in Padova, in the North of Italy, this Test was only ever going to be remembered as a milestone for winger David Campese, earning his 100th cap for Australia.

With his father, who was born nearby, and mother present, just days after his 34th Birthday, Campese became only the second player in history to reach the 100 Test milestone behind Frenchman Phillippe Sella.

While he wasn’t able to celebrate the match with a try, Campese did end up scoring six tries in his six appearances against the Italians and retired from Test rugby at the end of the 1996 Spring Tour.

2002: Water logged Wallabies finish tour with five

The Wallabies wrapped up their 2002 Spring Tour with a comprehensive 34-3 victory over Italy in Genoa, with heavy rain falling for the entire match and the lights required even though it was an afternoon kick off.

Winger Scott Staniforth scored a double while Justin Harrison scored his only Test try to date and centre Stirling Mortlock and Number 8 Toutai Kefu also crossed for five-pointers.

Eight players from the 24-man squad selected for this Saturday’s Test played in 2002 - Matt Giteau, George Gregan, Stirling Mortlock, Wendell Sailor, George Smith, Lote Tuqiri, Chris Whitaker and Bill Young.