Schmidt signs off in style as the Wallabies beat Italy 57-10 to end a 6-test skid

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Joe Schmidt's tenure as Australia's head coach ended with a victory on Saturday, with the Wallabies beating Italy 57-10 in the Nations Championship to end a six-test losing streak.

The Australians scored six tries to one in the first half, with lock Josh Canham crossing for two, and led 38-5 to set up the win in Perth.

Canham scored again — his third try — when he picked up at the base of a ruck meters from Italy's tryline and burrowed over in the 52nd minute to give the home team a 45-10 lead.

The Wallabies had big leads in their last two tests but surrendered them in a 42-26 loss to Six Nations champion France in Brisbane and a 33-31 loss to Ireland in Sydney in the opening round of the Nations Championship. The Australians were determined to end Schmidt's stint on a positive note. They started well, and this time held the momentum in Perth.

“When you’ve done that a few times, you’ve got to learn from those experiences, and I felt we did tonight,” Schmidt said. “We got far enough in front that it wasn’t really going to matter if we weren’t as good in the second half, but, there was some good stuff in there.”

Canham crossed in the fourth minute and fullback Tom Wright and hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa also scored in the opening 12 minutes. Canham, prop Angus Bell and center Len Ikitau all scored in the 15 minutes before the break.

Canham and Billy Pollard scored in the second half before replacement back Ben Donaldson dived over in the 80th minute to cap the victory after a rampaging run from backrower Rob Valetini.

Captain Michele Lamaro scored Italy's only points of the first half with a try in the 20th minute, and Montanna Ioane crossed just after halftime in some rare highlights for the visitors. The Italians had a try disallowed for a knock-on in-goal in the 75th on video review.

The first phase of the new Nations Championship tournament ended without a win for the Italians, and with coach Gonzalo Quesada suspended and not allowed on the sidelines. It got worse when a wrestle between players in the 66th minute spilled from the touchline into the technical area and knocked some Italy support staff off their chairs. It resulted in a red card for Marco Riccioni, the Italian prop who had already been replaced.

“Gutted. Obviously very disappointed with the result and the performance we put in,” Lamaro said of Saturday's result, and the tour generally. “We played a very good first half against the All Blacks last week, but apart from that we've been pretty poor.”

Quesada was initially issued a two-game suspension for referee criticism following Italy’s 47-17 loss to New Zealand last week, but had the ban reduced to one game on appeal.

He had criticized the match officials for a yellow card issued to lock Niccolò Cannone for a head-butt. The card was upgraded to red and Cannone was later handed a four-match suspension. Italy also lost its tournament-opening test to Japan.

Schmidt announced last year that he was standing down as Wallabies’ head coach but remained in the role to give his replacement, Les Kiss, time to complete his obligations with the Queensland Reds.

Schmidt said he was handing over a squad that had made progress over the last 2 1/2 years, despite its relatively low winning percentage, and was working positively toward next year's Rugby World Cup on home soil.

“I think the players are more connected. I think the leaders are more vocal,” Schmidt said. “Our fundamentals, our set piece is getting better.

“To the rugby public, thank you for sticking with us. We’ve just had massive support, and it makes a difference to the players.”

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Australia's Declan Meredith, center, is tackled while making a run against Italy during their Nations Championship rugby international test match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

Italy's Riccardo Favretto, left, is tackled by Australia's Brandon Paenga-Amosa during their Nations Championship rugby international test match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's Brandon Paenga-Amosa, third left, celebrates scoring a try against Italy during their Nations Championship rugby international test match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's coach Joe Schmidt watches his team warm up before their Nations Championship rugby international test match against Italy in Perth, Australia, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

Australia's Josh Canham , center, score the first try against Italy during their Nations Championship rugby international test match in Perth, Australia, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Argentina on one side. Lamine Yamal and Spain on the other.

The World Cup final is finally here.

Kickoff is at 3 p.m. EDT at MetLife Stadium. Argentina is seeking its fourth title, Spain its second — and could become the first nation to simultaneously hold the World Cup crowns in both men's and women's soccer.

It's the 104th match of the biggest World Cup ever, a 48-team event that played out over the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Because there were more matches than any previous World Cup, it was no surprise that there were more goals than all other editions — 307 and counting entering Sunday.

If Argentina and Spain combine for at least two goals in the final, this World Cup will also have the highest average number of goals per game since the 1956 event saw 3.6 per contest. (If the teams score fewer than two Sunday, it'll still be the highest average per game since 1970's World Cup saw 2.97 goals per game.)

The spectacle will not be limited to simply soccer.

Post Malone will headline the closing ceremony, which starts 90 minutes before the final. The halftime show — a first for FIFA — has Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS as fellow headliners, along with Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and even characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets.

President Donald Trump is expected to attend as well, with plans calling for him to be part of the trophy presentation at the conclusion of the match.

Argentina is wearing its light blue and white vertically striped jerseys for the match, while Spain is wearing predominantly red with navy sleeves. The officiating crew is from Slovenia — Slavko Vinčić is the referee, with Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič his assistant referees.

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Spain fans gather for a rally on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in New York's Times Square, Saturday, July 18, 2026 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Spain fans gather for a rally on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in New York's Times Square, Saturday, July 18, 2026 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Argentina's Lionel Messi, Rodrigo Javier De Paul and Leandro Paredes, from right, during a training session on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in Morristown, N.J., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Argentina's Lionel Messi kicks the ball during a training session on the eve of the World Cup final soccer match in Morristown, N.J., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)