Dave Rennie savaged over embarrassing Wallabies low: 'Poor coaching'

It took all of five seconds for the rot to set in for the Wallabies against Italy.

The Azzurri kicked off, Australia dropped the ball and immediately gave away the first of 16 penalties and a 3-0 advantage.

It was the start of a tortuous 80-minute debacle for any Australian fan foolish enough to stay up in the forlorn hope that somehow this performance would be any different to some of the crap consistently dished up under coach Dave Rennie.

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It would have been a rank injustice had Italy been denied its first victory over the Wallabies, with debutant Ben Donaldson missing his after-the-bell conversion attempt to ensure the hosts an historic 28-27 win in Florence.

Don't let the close escape fool you or have you believe Australia was somehow unlucky.

This is not one of those hard luck stories, far from it.

The Italian kickers left more than half a dozen points out there, with four missed penalties and a conversion saving the men in gold from even greater embarrassment.

This was the third consecutive one-point game on the Wallabies' spring tour and the second in a row that has gone against them.

Pushing Six Nations champions France all the way won deserved praise but it still went down as yet another loss.

Italy, ranked 12th in the world, was the beneficiary of the predicable fade-out that follows just about any half-decent performance from the Wallabies.

For reasons best known to himself, Rennie made a host of changes to the side that met France.

Some were forced through injury, but the majority were not.

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Former Wallaby Drew Mitchell said it sent the wrong message, that Australia thought its second stringers could get the job done against Italy.

He called it "poor coaching" – and it was. As this game proved, Australia doesn't have the depth to make major surgery to it best XV.

The Wallabies need victories. Blooding and/or resting players are for winning teams.

The lack of cohesion was evident from that lost kick-off and the discipline again appalling, the penalty count finishing Italy's way 16-9.

Rennie, who has now won just 12 games in 32 starts, walked into the press conference after yet another sub-par performance and pushed replay.

We've heard it all before.

"It’s hugely disappointing. It’s not good enough. All I can say is it’s hurting. You go into the change room and the boys are hurt," he said.

"It hurts everyone involved. I under the (fans') frustration. We had a good enough side on the field but we just gave up too many soft points and possession and territory.

"They know we’re better than that."

Perhaps they're not, Dave.

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