Arabic version: جو شميدت يغادر في ذروة النجاح بعد أن سحق الوالابيز إيطاليا 57-10
The Wallabies delivered a commanding 57-10 win over Italy in Perth to close Joe Schmidt’s coaching tenure on a triumphant note. The home side ran in nine tries to two in front of a sold-out crowd, with lock Josh Canham claiming a hat-trick and the team racing to a 19-0 lead inside 12 minutes.
According to ABC News, the victory was Australia’s first result of the Nations Championship after opening losses to Ireland (33-31) and France (42-26). Ben Donaldson scored just before the full-time whistle and added the extras to ice a 57-10 victory. A melee in the second half saw Italy prop Marco Riccioni shown a red card after he ran in while having been replaced, meaning Italy were not reduced to 14 active players.
Why this matters: the result concludes Schmidt’s spell with the Wallabies on a decisive win and hands the reins to incoming coach Les Kiss. Schmidt took charge of the Wallabies in the wake of the 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, and the match provides a positive endpoint to his tenure ahead of the next coaching era.
Schmidt finished with 12 wins from 31 Tests. His time in charge included highlights referenced in the coverage, such as the 38-22 victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park and the 42-37 upset of England at Twickenham in 2024. Reflecting after the match, Schmidt told Nine: “I think if you look back two and a half years, I think we’ve definitely made progress. I think the players are more connected. I think the leaders are more vocal.” He added: “I’m happy, but I’m never satisfied … you don’t go into a game against Ireland and control it and lead for 77 minutes and then let it slip. And our first half against France: 21-12 at half-time. So there’s always going to be regrets.” Schmidt said he would “enjoy those two hours” after finishing at midnight.
Players also reflected on the win. Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said: “We were clinical, we had a lot of positive moments in a row. Our discipline improved … we’ve been training really hard and we haven’t got results over the last two weeks. To go out there tonight and have a really clinical result was really pleasing.” Canham downplayed his hat-trick, saying: “Tries are because of how well that forward pack went tonight. I didn’t didn’t have to do too much. It was a metre each try. So it’s all the forward pack.”
What happens next: Les Kiss will take charge of the Wallabies for the first time next month when they face Japan in Osaka, and the team will resume its Nations Championship campaign in November with matches against England (Twickenham), Scotland (Murrayfield) and Wales (Millennium Stadium).
Related sections: Australia/استراليا | Victoria | Western Australia | General | World/العالم
