Australia vs. Italy: Start Time, Live Stream for 2017 Summer International
Australia will be looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Scotland last week when they take on Italy in their final June international at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
The Wallabies have a perfect record against the Italians having never lost to them, and in the most recent meeting between the two sides, Australia ran out 50-20 away winners in Turin in 2013.
It would be a huge shock if the Azzurri were to claim victory, especially in Australia, but the hosts will be acutely aware they cannot afford to be complacent.
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Read on for a preview of the clash, along with scheduling and viewing details.
Date: Saturday, June 23
Time: 6 a.m. BST, 1 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. local
Preview
In the wake of the Scotland defeat, it is now vital Australia put in a good performance against Italy and earn a decent win.
The 2017 Rugby Championship begins in early August, and the Wallabies cannot afford to again start the tournament on the back of disappointing midyear results.
Last year England claimed a whitewash summer series victory against the Aussies, and head coach Michael Cheika's side ended up being thrashed by New Zealand in their opening Rugby Championship fixture.
Australia scrum-half Will Genia outlined how significant the Italy game now is, per the Daily Telegraph's Iain Payten: "It's big. We have to make sure we prepare well, but more than anything perform well against Italy on Saturday so we can have some sort of confidence and momentum moving into what it is going to be quite a tough Rugby Championship."
Genia, 29, scored a try in the 24-19 defeat to Scotland but was also partially culpable for two of the tries Australia conceded.
Cheika's side need to show much greater discipline against Italy both in possession and at the breakdown.
In truth, they have the quality to beat head coach Conor O'Shea's side while not playing at their best.
The Italians endured a chastening Six Nations earlier this year as they lost every match, while they have also been downed by Fiji and Scotland already in June.
However, a scrappy victory for Australia will not suffice as they look to build some momentum ahead of the Rugby Championship in August.
And Italy do have the capabilities to cause problems. They beat an admittedly poor South Africa side at home in Florence last November and caused England all kinds of problems in the Six Nations with some novel tactics, per BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce.
Australia have not enjoyed the best form of late, but a defeat to Italy would be a new low.
They have more than enough quality to thrash Italy, especially on home soil, but need to be a lot more clinical in the lead-up to the Rugby Championship.
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