The Wallabies are left once again despondent in Italy after a 26-19 upset loss in Udine.
The Australians were run down in the final quarter, with moments of strong play negated by the poor result and finish.
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So what did we learn?
Italy’s rise continues after proving its 2022 win was no fluke, punishing the Wallabies for their back-to-back losses.
It continues a rollercoaster year for the Wallabies, who find themselves struggling for answers, as you could see the hurt in players’ faces after the game.
They were consistently beaten at the attacking breakdown and gave away too many penalties, allowing Italy to control the game.
The Wallabies dominated basically every key stat but slipped away at the deciding moments in the second half.
Any hopes of a top-six world ranking for the World Cup draw are all but gone, barring a massive Argentina upset and/or a win over Ireland next week.
It took a pair of wingers very familiar with Australia to sink the Wallabies and give the home crowd plenty to celebrate.
The last name Lynagh has won plenty of games for Australia but winger Louis’ try was a reminder of his talent and one that got away from both England and Australia.
Melbourne-born Monty Ioane then capped off his strong game to score in the corner, giving the Italians a crucial lead that they would hold until the end.
It’s a cruel piece of irony for Australian fans.
The Wallabies were visibly frustrated after the game, with their in-play kicking a major work on.
There were four occasions in which the Australians put the ball into touch on the full and invited pressure on their line.
It’s the simple things you can’t afford to do in Test Rugby and just presented the chance for Paolo Garbisi to keep Italy ticking over the scoreboard before the back-to-back strikes.
It took just 15 minutes for Carter Gordon to settle back into Rugby Union as the flyhalf lit up the Italian defence, summing up a beautiful attacking performance from the playmaker.
Gordon’s long passing was excellent and found considerable success against a rush-heavy hosts to free up the likes of Corey Toole and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
His second half try was wonderful, following Harry Wilson’s break before a sharp step on ex-teammate Monty Ioane for the five-pointer.
The performance wasn’t all positive, struggling under the high ball and putting two kicks out on the full as he was clearly hampered by the quad injury when he tried to kick off the right.
But the former Rebel looked like he’d never left for the most part as he departed after 55 minutes to the knock.
It’s time to start having the conversation for Fraser McReight as the best openside flanker in the world.
No one impacts a game like McReight over the breakdown, backing up last week’s heroics with a trio of turnovers in the first half.
The Reds' pilfer machine was constantly there in the right position as the Wallabies scrambled desperately, and his timing over the ball late gave them a chance to share the points.
There are plenty of quality sevens around the world, but McReight deserves to be in the discussions even in defeat.
