Oz vs Italy.....the forgotten test.

Apparently a spectator was carrying a sign which asked: 'are we at the wrong test?' Almost certainly but it was a fascinating game in it's own right. Oz established a big lead with some superb play by Folau in particular. Then Campagnaro scored a special try....showing great pace staying ahead of gas man Naivalu. .... That sparked total dominance by Italy for the first 30 minutes of the second half and they got within one point, with the Ozzie loosehead in the bin for not being able to scrum, at all! The Aussies were in panic mode, Quaalude dropping a hard pass for a try....and then Italy conceded an unnecessary penalty, and South African born Steyn stupidly infringed for a balancing yellow. Which led to two Aussie tries....the last a raw 75 metre gallop by Hodge, who showed real pace. ... There was also a perfect example of the advantage cross kick tactic, now standard practice. So much smarter than the drop attempt which hardly raises the probability of scoring, .. How good are the Aussies? There is plenty of talent in the backline, but the pack looks a notch below the typical Aussie pack. The scrum, always a weaknes is now a bridge too far. And the loosies, usually a strong point seemed pretty toothless. But in spite the post France optimism the Boks aren't assured a win in Oz.......the RC emphasizes a few special players, not a broad talent pool. In Folau, Naivalu, Foley and Hooper the Aussies have those players. Their scrum as per usual is the main concern.

 Mozart
Naivalu is out of the RC due to injury.   
I am not sure about the Aussie team - their Super Rugby teams were all poor.   And their recent test performances were poor as well.   One must think about the Scots team as well - a few of their top players were in the Lions team or absent with injury - so that loss was a real problem.   They managed a win against Italy - but only scored tries in the last few minutes of the game that gave them the edge.
I am not entirely convinced about the Springboks either.   There are still too many passengers  the squad - eg Mohoje, Mapoe, Steyn, Hougaard, etc.   I think that the RC would give a real indication of whether the team is improving.   However, I think there was a turnaround in the spirit of the team - which in itself is a plus.

I saw the injury in this game, it was a pretty sick, reflexive leg twist. But he wanted to stay on the field, obviously it was serious. I agree that the team is in much better spirits and that has to count for something.