The Wallabies were made to pay for a lacklustre performance, suffering their first-ever defeat to Italy.
Cadeyrn Neville almost saved their blushes late with a try after the siren, however, debutant Ben Donaldson couldn't convert a tough chance as the Azzurri claimed a famous 28-27 victory.
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So what did we learn from the match?
1.Soul searching
Dave Rennie took the risk to rest his star players. It backfired and has heaped further pressure on the side.
The Wallabies looked like a team that’d made 12 changes to the starting side, lacking any continuity and flow in attack.
Whilst some were forced due to injury, they were off their game from the first whistle and the dropped kickoff set the tempo for what was to come.
They gave away simple errors and penalties and ultimately looked second-rate against an Italian side full of confidence that capitalised on their chances, leaving Rennie and the side hurt after the result.
The hosts were by far the better team on the day and deserved their first win over the Wallabies even if the visitors had a chance to steal it late.
Any gains from the opening two Tests have gone out the window as the Wallabies are forced to lick their wounds.
2. Cruel game
You have to feel for Ben Donaldson.
The young flyhalf was brought onto the field with four minutes to go and instantly thrust into a game-winning situation when Neville crossed the line
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be and the playmaker’s kick sailed to the right, leaving the Waratah distraught.
It’ll be the first of many Tests for the young half and he’ll get plenty of chances to make up for it if he continues his Super Rugby form into 2023.
3.The big improvers
It’s clear to see this is a completely different Italian side than the Wallabies last faced in 2018.
They play an exciting, expansive style of Rugby, with fullback Ange Capuozzo the centrepiece as he delighted the Florence crowd with an electric double.
Their decision-making is spot on and they always looked confident with ball in hand, exposing a Wallabies side down to 14 after Gordon's yellow card as they crossed twice
Take nothing away from the hosts' performance, they thoroughly deserved the victory and claimed yet another scalp under the guidance of Kieran Crowley
4. Skelton shining light
Out of a disappointing performance, Will Skelton’s first start since returning to the group was something to please Wallabies fans.
He was a menace in shutting down the rolling maul whilst delivering consistent hit-ups over the advantage line for the visitors.
Skelton will get one more chance to showcase what he can do against Ireland before returning to La Rochelle.
His lock partner Darcy Swain was also strong, starting the comeback with a crucial steal that set up Tom Robertson for some redemption mere minutes after a clumsy penalty off the ball
5. Same old problems
The biggest revelation from the Spring Tour so far has been the breakdown and the lack of execution by the Wallabies on attack.
Once again, they were constantly beaten to the breakdown after any half-break, allowing the hosts to establish their dominance early.
When they won the race, they missed their chances to provide clean ball, missing their targets time and time again.
Not only that, the penalty count continued to grow, with only some poor kicking from the hosts keeping the score-line close at the end.
