Australia v Italy rugby betting should be a good test of both of these sides. No surprises that the Aussies will be the favourites though. We are pencilling in Australia as potential winners of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, although there is still a raw edge about them. They successfully won the Tri Nations, beating New Zealand in the final match of the tournament recently, a huge success for them, and their game. Australia just simply kept pounding away at the New Zealand in relentless fashion, really being ballsy and taking the game to the All Blacks. In their first meeting in the Tri Nations, Australia had sat back a bit, tried to be a bit more cautious and only spread the game when they had to. They abandoned caution in the reverse fixture and it paid off for them. Remember too, that they beat a full strength South Africa side as well over in Durban, so the Wallabies have a lot going for them, and make a great option in your 2011 Rugby World Cup betting. We have seen the worst and the best of Australia rugby this year, but they look as if they are just coming to the boil at the right time. What we like about the Australians, is that they are a young side, but a very young and exciting side. Their ability to run from deep is remarkable, and this fearless, youthful enthusiasm will either go two ways. It will lead them to massive victories against sides, or it will be their own undoing when it comes to tight matches in the knockout stage. We really like Australia’s chances because they look the boldest side going into the tournament and appear to be pretty solid as a unit. However, there is a feeling that they are going to have a bad game at some stage in the tournament. Maybe it will be against Ireland in the group stage, who may grind them down, or perhaps England in the semi finals. Their backs will be on the line at some point in the tournament and this is where their lack of experience in such a young side could be telling. Other than that, immensely gung-ho, talented, but are lacking a world class goal kicker as well.
But Australia v Italy rugby betting is worth getting behind the Wallabies well. They have to be full of confidence after their Tri Nations success and it will be important for them to build on that. They will face a different challenge against Italy, because that level of intensity which is there when playing South Africa and New Zealand competitively, is not going to be there. So Australia will have to earn and build their own momentum, and naturally Italy will want to try and slow them down as much as possible. Italy will be well served in keeping the ball in the pack, there area where they are likely to do some damage. This is the Italy who did beat France in the Six Nations this year, and could easily have taken out Ireland and Wales as well. So there are positives for them. The Azzuri will be targeting Ireland more than Australia, but they need a big game against one of them if they are going to progress through to the knockout stage, something which they have not done before. This is a good test for them, and as long as they don’t get hammered out of sight by the Wallabies, they will be glad to get the toughest match of the group out of the way and get a match experience under their belt before the crucial one against Ireland.
Australia v Italy Head to Head
Obviously not two sides who have come into contact with each other very often. There have been just thirteen encounters between them, all having been won by the Wallabies. The average points difference per game between the Aussies and Italy is 22.23 in favour of the Wallabies. The last time they met was in November of last year in Italy, when Australia won 32-14.
Australia v Italy Rugby Betting Odds
Australia to win: 1/66 at SkyBet
Draw: 66/1 at Bet365
Italy to win: 25/1 at Bet365
Australia v Italy Rugby Handicap Betting Tip: There really have not been any great threats to Australia’s winning streak against Italy, and not expecting it to change here. Australia have finished in the thirty point range in the last four matches against Italy, so we are going to suggest an Italy +27 Handicap for Evens at Bet365 to cover that.
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See our Full 2011 Rugby World Cup Betting Guide here
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