Late red card for Saracen as Australia snap losing streak with big win over Italy

As an often frustrated Wallabies fan, I gotta say that first half was pretty sublime to watch. They clicked and looked so beautifully connected, with fantastic support play from the forwards and a lot of cohesion in attack. They finally played to their potential, and showed what they can do when they put it together. In many things, it's the 5% or 10% that makes the difference, and I think Lonergan’s driving of the forwards, and his beautiful service is the difference maker for us. He's been first class this year, and I hope we continue to build off this base. Well done Wallabies!

Seems an odd thing to include a late red card in the article title when it had literally nothing to do with the outcome and when it occurred there wasn't any likelihood of an Italy comeback.

Yet by drawing specific attention to it you're trying to make it seem like an important occurrence in the match in the mind of the reader when it only made things more difficult for Italy but really changed nothing in terms of how the game was already progressing.

And, crucially, since the card was to a player who had already gone off the field, Italy still had 15 men on the pitch. That player’s particular indiscretion didn't disadvantage the team perhaps in the way it should have to serve as a proper deterrent to such thuggish behaviour. But at least he will be answerable for it on Monday.

The card was really more just further proof that Italy has fallen off since their record-busting 6N earlier in the year. Injuries to key personnel will have that sort of effect but the team leadership has to be better than that.

Really a pathetic display when you're getting smoked on the field and instead of trying to get back into the game by trying something new or lifting your effort you engage in some off-field shenanigans to influence the outcome or at least sour it for the victor. Sad.

As to the Wallabies, it's yet another reminder of the team they could be but so rarely ever are. Sure, Italy failing to turn up made a fully switched on and committed Australia look very good indeed, maybe even slightly better than they actually are.

But this was at last a proper team performance for 80 minutes and the myriad ways in which they showed endeavour on both sides of the ball and a level of skill and nous that usually eludes them proves that this is a team that is capable of being contenders.

Now they just need to work out how to unlock this sort of performance every week instead of these kinds of displays essentially being one-offs.

They’ve looked the best of any of the sides, up with with France and Scotland in patches. Good for them to sticking at it. Was handy to have a form winger in the side.

Players looked freer to take on the tackler and look for the offload. Italians looked exhausted and a bit muddled defending.

Joe has done a good job implementing cohesion, and well structured, enterprising attacking play

A shame to see the Italians beaten badly. They are a better team than that.

So I am going to put the boot in here which I’m loathe to do as the Italian captain was gutted and he gets stuck in as do. Any the players but the coach has a go for what I felt was diversion at the ref on TV after ABs put them to the sword in the second half, week before lost to Japan tonight got smoked by a smoking WBs one of their players on the bench jumps in looks almost like he throwing a punch whilst one of the coaching team is involving himself grabbing pulling young Miles down from behind and back to last week it was the refs fault smells funny to me like bad coaching and leadership from the top criticism of ref should have spent more time on his team