Australia must front up to the power of the Italian front five in the Rugby World Cup Pool C opener on Sunday, according to former Wallaby Matt Burke in the Sydney Morning Herald.
So what is in this game for the Wallabies? Well, they need to continue where they left off in Brisbane, when they beat the All Blacks to claim the Tri Nations trophy. The defining moment in that game was the stand-and-deliver mentality they showed even before the game started. The way the Wallabies held their ground after the haka showed us a side to this team we hadn't seen for a long time - they have a hard edge. The players are going to need all that hard edge and physicality because they take on an Italian pack renowned for towelling up opposition scrums. In a way, the scrum, led by Martin Castrogiovanni, Salvatore Perugini and Andrea Lo Cicero, has defined this Italian team during the past few seasons.
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