Wallabies not taking Italy lightly - Tom Wright

Australia wing Tom Wright insisted that the Wallabies are not taking Italy lightly as the two teams face each other at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday.

The Azzurri have never defeated Australia previously with their last encounter coming in 2018. On the other hand, Australia haven't won more than one Test in an European tour since 2016 and are coming off with a 15-16 win over Scotland and a 29-30 defeat against France.

Despite their unbeaten record, Wright said they are approaching the weekend's encounter just like how they play against top tier teams.

“The main messaging is around that we respect Italy and keep out the outside noise around what could be perceived as an easy game for us on this tour, or the easiest,” Wright told reporters.

“It’s about making sure that we as a squad front up this week – it’s very easy to get up when you’re playing France or Ireland, the top two teams in the world, so we need to make sure we put the same emphasis on playing well and preparing the same way against Italy.”

Wright also insisted that the team review following the defeat against France showed where they require improvement.

“It sucked for the group, sucked for me and Jock but I’ve just got to own that moment,” Wright said.

“The team review, we didn’t just look at the last try and think how shit was that game, we looked at the first 75-odd minutes and what we did really well.

“We know Italy are going to be no slouch this weekend, especially at home and it’s a new environment for a lot of guys.

“It’s certainly been a focus point for us, making sure that we show up, especially coming after a performance that we were proud of.”