Australia and Italy have played each other in full tests at rugby union a total of twenty matches, with the first eighteen won by Australia. Italy achieved their first victory in the fixture in the 2022 Autumn Internationals, some 39 years after the first match between the teams. [1] Australia have met Italy once in Rugby World Cup play, winning 32–6 in Auckland in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. All other matches were Test Matches.
In addition, Australia beat Italy twice in non-Test matches prior to 1983, in games in which Italy gave caps, but Australia, appearing as Australia XV, did not.
Australia first played Italy on their way home from European tours in the 1970s, though they were not given full international status. The first encounter was in 1973 when Australia ran up 59 points to 21, but the second was the closest ever, with Italy losing by a single point 1617. Officially, the first test between the two countries was in 1983, following an Italian tour of Australia in 1981 in which the visitors acquitted themselves well against secondary opposition. They toured again in 1986 and played their first test match away from home. Two years later the Italians were soundly beaten at the end of the 1988 Wallabies tour, but their next tour of Australia in 1994 saw a big improvement with all state matches won and an unlucky defeat in the Brisbane test match. In 2011 they met for the first time in a World Cup match at the group stage in Auckland with Australia starting their campaign towards the semi-finals with a 32–6 win. [2] A period of convincing wins to Australia followed, with Italy coming close in 2012, losing by only three points.
In November 2022 Italy won their first game against Australia 28–27 as part of the 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals. Italy won their second consecutive game against Australia in the 2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals. [1]
Note: Summary below reflects test results by both teams.
| Details [3] | Played | Won by Australia | Won by Italy | Drawn | Australia points | Italy points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Italy | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 389 | 186 |
| In Australia | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 256 | 113 |
| Neutral venue | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 |
| Overall | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 677 | 305 |
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.
| Record | Australia | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Longest winning streak | 18 (22 Oct 1983 – 12 Nov 2022) | 2 (12 Nov 2022 – present) |
| Largest points for | ||
| Home | 69 (25 Jun 2005) | 28 (12 Nov 2022) |
| Away | 55 (3 Dec 1988) | 27 (24 Jun 2017) |
| Largest winning margin | ||
| Home | 48 (25 Jun 2005) | 7 (8 Nov 2025) |
| Away | 49 (3 Dec 1988) | — |
Below is a list of matches that Italy has awarded matches test match status by virtue of awarding caps, but Australia did not award caps.
| Date | Venue | Score | Winner | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 1973 | Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L'Aquila | 21–59 |  Australia XV | 1973 Australia tour of Great Britain and Italy |
| 4 November 1976 | Arena Civica, Milan | 15–16 | Australia XV | 1976 Australia tour of France and Italy |
| Played | Won by Australia | Won by Italy | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | Australia | Italy | Series winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1 | 0 | Australia |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | Australia |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | Australia |
