McReight benched for Italy clash as Schmidt looks to halt Wallabies skid

July 16 : Departing Australia coach Joe Schmidt has dropped Fraser McReight to the bench for Saturday's Nations Championship test against Italy in one of three changes to the line-up beaten 42-26 by France last weekend.

• Openside flanker McReight has been replaced by Perth-born Carlo Tizzano for the match at Perth Rectangular Stadium.

• Declan Meredith, who made his debut against France, retains his spot at flyhalf, while Harry Potter and Brandon Paenga-Amosa come into the starting lineup. Ben Donaldson returns to the bench after recovering from a calf injury.

• Waratahs lock Miles Amatosero is also in line for his debut after being named to the bench.

• Australia, who have lost nine of their last 10 matches, are second-bottom in the Southern Hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship following defeats by France and Ireland.

• Saturday's match is Schmidt's last in charge of the Wallabies before he is replaced by Les Kiss.

• “We've shown some encouraging signs but we need to sustain our accuracy and effort throughout the match," Schmidt said in a statement.

• Australia team: 15–Tom Wright, 14–Max Jorgensen, 13–Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12–Len Ikitau, 11–Harry Potter, 10–Declan Meredith, 9–Ryan Lonergan, 8–Harry Wilson, 7–Carlo Tizzano, 6–Rob Valetini, 5–Jeremy Williams, 4–Josh Canham, 3–Allan Alaalatoa, 2–Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1–Angus Bell

• Replacements: 16–Billy Pollard, 17–James Slipper, 18–Zane Nonggorr, 19–Miles Amatosero, 20–Fraser McReight, 21–Tate McDermott, 22–Ben Donaldson, 23–Filipo Daugunu