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The growing trend of international teams using test matches to experiment with new combinations will be on full display when Australia take on Italy in their second Test in Melbourne.

Both teams have made wholesale changes to their starting line-ups and openly admitted to using Saturday's match as part of their long-term build-up to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

The Australians, who have previously been highly critical of opponents selecting sub-strength teams, have replaced more than half their side, including captain Stirling Mortlock (pictured), from the team that won last weekend's first Test in Canberra 31-8.

The Italians, who have never beaten Australia and are yet to win a test this year, responded by changing 10 of their starting 15.

Australia are overwhelming favourites to romp to another comfortable win and coach Robbie Deans had no hesitation in giving some of his first-choice players a rest.

The Wallabies have a busy schedule of 14 Tests this year and Deans wanted to give them a break ahead of tougher matches against France, New Zealand and South Africa.

He also wanted to have a closer look at some of his younger players, including uncapped prop Pek Cowan, but despite the changes he expected the new-look side to outperform the team from last week.

"We expect to be better. Another week of preparation and it is evident on the training field that things are coming together," Deans said.

"We benefited from that physical workout but we need to be more accurate. We would like to play a little bit more expansively."

Italy coach Nick Mallett said he always intended to change his team for the second Test to save his top players for next week's one-off clash with New Zealand.

Of the five players he did retain from the starting side, two were born in Australia - full-back Luke McLean and former rugby league international Craig Gower, who made his test debut for Italy last weekend.

Gower, who qualifies to play for the Azzurri through his Italian-born grandfather, only started playing rugby union two years ago and despite having just a handful of games at fly-half showed encouraging signs in Italy's losing effort last weekend.

"If I can do that I'm happy with that," he said. "I don't expect myself to come out and be a top fly-half after four or five games. It's going to be a process, I don't know how long - I might not even get there."

Teams

Australia: 15-James O'Connor, 14-Lachie Turner, 13-Ryan Cross, 12-Quade Cooper, 11-Peter Hynes, 10-Berrick Barnes, 9-Luke Burgess, 8-George Smith (capt), 7-David Pocock, 6-Peter Kimlin, 5-Dean Mumm, 4-James Horwill, 3-Ben Alexander, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Pek Cowan

Replacements: 16-Stephen Moore, 17-Benn Robinson, 18-Nathan Sharpe, 19-Phil Waugh, 20-Josh Valentine, 21-Matt Giteau, 22-Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Italy: 15-Luke McLean, 14-Giulio Rubini, 13-Gonzalo Canale, 12-Gonzalo Garcia, 11-Alberto Sgarbi, 10-Craig Gower, 9-Tito Tebaldi, 8-Sergio Parisse (capt), 7-Simone Favaro, 6-Jean Francois Montauriol, 5-Marco Bortolami, 4-Tommaso Reato, 3-Fabio Staibano, 2-Franco Sbaraglini, 1-Matias Aguero.

Replacements: 16-Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17-Salvatore Perugini, 18-Quintin Geldenhuys, 19-Alessandro Zanni, 20-Giulio Toniolatti, 21-Kris Burton, 22-Roberto Quartaroli.

Reuters