Wales 31, Italy 17: Wales end miserable streak with a memorable victory

Simon Thomas

Now that’s what I call a Super Saturday!

After 1,099 days of hurt, the long wait for a Welsh win in the Six Nations is finally over.

More than three years on from their last success, they ended their 15-match losing run in the Championship in memorable fashion at a packed Principality Stadium.

For well over a decade, Welsh fans had become used to victories in this tournament and not just victories, but trophies.

So to go so long without a win has been a painful experience and you could see the release of that anguish with the celebrations on and off the field at the final whistle.

The slight irony, of course, is those celebrations coincided with Wales picking up the wooden spoon.

But that has to be put in the context of the past couple of years and them avoiding a third successive whitewash.

It’s also worth noting that this was a bonus point victory achieved against a very fine Italian side.

The Azzurri had shown their quality with wins over Scotland and England, while they further demonstrated their threat with the way they played in the final 30 minutes today, scoring three tries and narrowly missing out on two more.

But, by the time they came to life, the game was already over as a contest with Wales having built a 31-0 lead in thrilling style.

Having endured so much misery and despair at the stadium over the past 12 months – amid five 50 point-plus defeats – the home fans could scarcely believe what they were watching as Steve Tandy’s team rattled up four tries inside 45 minutes to establish an unassailable buffer.

There had been signs of hope with the much improved performances against Scotland and Ireland in the previous two games and reason to believe a win was possible.

But few could have imagined it would come in the way it did.

It’s a victory that will do so much for this young team and the coaching staff. It’s also due reward for the effort they have all put in over the last couple of months and the strides they have made.

Across the board, it was a stirring display, but there are a number of individuals who deserve special mention.

Skipper Dewi Lake led by example, with no-one making more carries than the Ospreys hooker who once again gave his absolute all and scored the try that made it 21-0 at the break.

James Botham put in a huge shift on the openside flank, topping the tackle count with 15 and denying a try with one key intervention, while Ben Carter has now really made the No 5 jersey his own, winning the lineouts that led to two tries and contributing in a big way on both sides of the ball.

Elsewhere, Josh Adams had his best game in a Welsh jersey for years, making a couple of scything breaks and chasing everything, while fellow wing Ellis Mee impressed defensively, winning a couple of crucial turnovers at the breakdown and pulling off a try saving tackle on Monty Ioane.

You also saw Dan Edwards playing with a pleasing swagger at fly-half as he sliced through for a try and followed that up with an audacious drop goal from 42 metres amid a 16-point haul.

But, above all, there was Aaron Wainwright.

Like Adams, he has experienced the good times in a Welsh jersey in the past with title triumphs and big World Cup wins.

He has had to share in tough times over the last couple of years, but he has kept on shining amid the gloom and this time he shone amid an oh-so-welcome win.

The Dragons No 8 scored two tries, the first of them off an unstoppable surge to the line, and ended up as the game’s joint top carrier with 13.

He has been Wales’ player of the Championship, so it was fitting he should end the campaign with a Player of the Match award.

You had to go back to March 11, 2023, for the last Welsh win in the Six Nations – a 29-17 victory against Italy in Rome.

So much has happened since then and there has been so much turmoil on and off the pitch.

There is still much to resolve in the Welsh game and still plenty of room for improvement from the national team.

But there is now something to build on and reason to look forward to the future with optimism.

Full-back Louis Rees-Zammit spoke well after the game when explaining the progress the team has made during the Championship.

“We have trusted each other, trusted the system and trusted the coaches,” he said.

“We have got better and we have finished off on a high. That was so special today.”

Unchanged

Wales had named an unchanged starting XV as a reflection of the encouraging display against Ireland in Dublin, with the only alteration being on the bench where Blair Murray took over from Louie Hennessey.

Somewhat remarkably, it was the first time they had made just one change to their match day 23 since the 2019 World Cup.

Stepping inside the stadium, it became apparent that it was pretty full and that was confirmed with an attendance figure of 69,775, an indication that the public have literally bought into the improvements in recent games.

When the contest got underway, you could sense the home fans really willing on their side with chants of “Wales, Wales” echoing around the stadium in the opening minute.

Tandy’s team responded to that backing, taking the initiative from the outset and taking the fight to the opposition.

That early onslaught was repelled and then it was the hosts’ turn to soak up a bit of pressure before the fun really began.

There had been a couple of lineout lapses in the opening quarter of an hour, yet it was to be that set-piece which provided the platform for all three Welsh tries in the first half.

The attacking position for the first score was set up by Mee winning a jackal penalty as he pounced on the prone Alessandro Fusco.

From the resulting lineout, Alex Mann leapt high and the ball was moved into midfield where Eddie James made the initial surge.

Then it was over to Wainwright as he took the ball at pace and bust between his opposite number Lorenzo Cannone and hooker Danilo Fischetti, breaking the front rower’s attempted tackle.

It was some carry and just what was needed to set his team on track and get the fans even more behind them.

Ten minutes later, he struck again.

Wales had been handed an eminently kickable penalty, but opted to go for the corner and their ambition was rewarded.

Lake took a quick throw to Carter at the front and, after the fast moving maul was brought down just short, Wainwright delivered the finish, diving in underneath Louis Lynagh.

Referee Christophe Ridley didn’t award the try initially, wanting to check it, but Wales were clearly convinced from how they headed back to halfway, congratulating their No 8 as they did so.

They were proved right, with the TMO review confirming the scorer and Dan Edwards adding the conversion from wide out.

Dreamland

Four minutes later, the hosts were in dreamland as they claimed their third try.

It was a similar scenario to the second, with Carter again winning the lineout, albeit at the tail, while the maul this time went all the way, with Joe Hawkins joining in to help Lake over the whitewash.

A third successful Edwards conversion made it 21-0, prompting a mass chorus of Hymns and Arias, and it was a very happy crowd that roared and applauded the team off the field at the break.

What the first half hadn’t brought was a score from open play, but that was swiftly addressed on the resumption with an outstanding team try.

It was launched off a kick return, with Adams setting things in motion with a weaving run from half way as he evaded three defenders.

Then it was over to the forwards as they gradually worked their way closer and closer to the Italian line over 13 phases.

There were three carries apiece from Wainwright and Lake, two each from Carter and Rhys Carre, with Archie Griffin making the last surge up to the whitewash.

Then it was time to pull the trigger and move the ball, with inside centre Hawkins swapping position with Edwards and feeding his fly-half who slid outside Fusco to round off a quality collective effort.

With the confidence now oozing out of him following his try, Edwards proceeded to land his long-range drop goal after fielding an Italian kick out from their own line.

That made it 31-0 and the game was effectively won.

Once they shook off their shell shock. Italy started to play and claimed their own lineout drive try through hooker Tommasso Di Bartolomeo, with backs Tommasso Allan and Paolo Garbisi adding further touchdowns in the final quarter.

But this was Wales’ day and we’ve had to wait a long, long time to say that.