Australia and Italy have played each other in full tests at rugby union a total of nineteen 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 16-17. 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. Since then results have generally been convincing wins to Australia, but the one in 2012 was close with Italy unlucky to lose by 3 points. In November 2022 Italy won their first game against Australia 28-27 as part of the 2022 Autumn International.
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.
Note: Summary below reflects test results by both teams.
| Details | Played | Won by Australia | Won by Italy | Drawn | Australia points | Italy points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Italy | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 370 | 160 |
| In Australia | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 256 | 113 |
| Neutral venue | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 6 |
| Overall | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 658 | 279 |
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) | 1 (12 Nov 2022 – ) |
| 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) | 1 (12 Nov 2022) |
| 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 | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 1973 | Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L'Aquila | 21–59 |  Australia XV | Not considered full internationals by Australia |
| 4 November 1976 | Arena Civica, Milan | 15–16 | Australia XV |
| 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 |
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