Italy’s rugby campaign has been thrown into turmoil ahead of their highly anticipated clash against the Wallabies in Perth. Head coach Gonzalo Quesada has been slapped with an automatic two-match ban by World Rugby, ruling him out of any match-day activities—including even entering the stadium on Saturday.
The Italian Rugby Federation has already announced its intention to appeal the suspension, which was triggered by Quesada’s post-match comments following Italy's heavy 47-17 defeat to New Zealand in the Nations Championship last week. In an interview with Sky Sport, the Argentine tactician did not hold back, calling referee Luc Ramos "super poor" and arguing that the referee's decisions inflated the margin of defeat. Quesada also criticized the grueling travel schedule, which saw his team fly to Wellington immediately after a 27-10 loss to Japan in Tokyo.
### The New Crackdown on Referee Abuse
Quesada’s suspension is one of the first high-profile applications of World Rugby’s newly introduced "Match Official Abuse Sanction Process." Designed to safeguard referees and officials across elite-level competitions, the strict policy leaves no room for public criticism of match officials.
### Nine Changes to Face the Wallabies
With Italy currently sitting at the bottom of the northern hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship, the coaching staff has executed a massive squad overhaul. Nine changes have been made to the starting lineup in a bid to spark a resurgence against Australia.
Among the key adjustments, Giulio Marini is set to make his very first Test start, while Lorenzo Pani returns to the fullback position. Monty Ioane secures a spot on the wing, and Paolo Odogwu makes his debut appearance in the tournament.
ITALY STARTING LINEUP (15-1):
Lorenzo Pani, Louis Lynagh, Juan Ignacio Brex, Paolo Odogwu, Monty Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Alessandro Garbisi, Ross Vintcent, Michele Lamaro (captain), Riccardo Favretto, Federico Ruzza, Giulio Marini, Marco Riccioni, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Muhamed Hasa.
Replacements:
Pablo Dimcheff, Danilo Fischetti, Ion Neculai, Andrea Zambonin, Alessandro Ortombina, Alessandro Fusco, Giacomo Da Re, Leonardo Marin.
By Marry Sporttex
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