Melbourne — Australia coach Michael Cheika may hope to try out new players and give others a rest against Italy on Saturday but the Wallabies can ill-afford sweeping changes as they battle to return to winning form, utility back Matt Toomua has said. The Wallabies slumped to their 10th defeat in 13 Tests with a 9-6 loss to Wales last weekend, sparking a fierce reaction in Australia where rugby pundits called for Cheika’s sacking a year away from the World Cup in Japan. While there are fresh legs in the squad, including uncapped 18-year-old fullback Jordan Petaia, Australia should aim to field a strong side against the Italians in Padova, said Toomua. “I think we’ve got to win, don’t we?” he said. “We’ve got to give respect to Italy as a team who we know can upset a lot of teams. We struggled against them a few years ago in Australia. So I think going out with wholesale changes wouldn’t be the smartest tactic.” Australia have never lost to Italy in 17 matches but suffered a huge scar...

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