Rugby
Wallabies thrash Italy
2009-06-20 14:26
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Melbourne - Australia once again proved too strong for Italy winning 34-12 to sweep their two-match rugby series on Saturday.
The Wallabies, fielding eight changes from last week's lineup, followed up their 31-8 victory in Canberra last week with another five tries.
Australia have now won all their 12 internationals against the Italians, including six of them at home, while the Six-Nations wooden-spooners continue a losing streak that now stretches to ten internationals.
Led by flyhalf Berrick Barnes and winger Lachlan Turner, the Wallabies reached halftime with a 20-6 lead, but needed another 30 minutes before rounding off the victory with two converted tries.
Replacement Adam Ashley-Cooper, who was on the field three times, twice as a blood bin replacement for winger Peter Hynes, scored two tries with hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, centre Ryan Cross and Turner also crossing the line.
Teenage fullback James O'Connor, who scored a hattrick of tries on his full international debut last week, had a quieter match and finished with two conversions and a penalty goal, with Barnes landing another conversion.
All of Italy's points came from four penalty goals from Australian-born fullback Luke McLean.
Italy, who were more competitive with former Australian rugby league international Craig Gower influential at flyhalf, failed to score a try and have now only scored three tries in internationals this year.
It was an inauspicious start for O'Connor, who knocked on with his first touch of the ball after his spellbinding performance last week.
Despite fielding eight personnel and three positional changes from the previous week, the Wallabies strung together some flowing rugby with right-winger Turner giving the final pass for two of the first-half tries.
But it took Australia another 30 minutes before they added to their halftime score after McLean kicked two more penalties to edge the Azzurri to within eight points of the Australians.
Centre Quade Cooper put Turner over under the uprights in the 70th minute and Ashley-Cooper finished off with his second try four minutes from fulltime.
The Wallabies take on France in Sydney next Saturday, while the Italians cross the Tasman Sea to play the All Blacks.