Wales know they will have to stall Italy’s “coast to coast” attacking recreation of their quest for an past due Six Nations victory on Saturday. The best nations with out a Six Nations win this season cross face to face at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. It is two decades since Wales completed backside of the pile and have been picket spoon recipients, however that situation may now simply spread.
Successive defeats in opposition to Ireland, Scotland and England have left Wales scrambling across the Six Nations basement, but to damage their issues duck and scoring best 3 tries in additional than 4 hours of rugby. Italy are one level above them, courtesy of a shedding bonus gathered in opposition to France, however six tries in losses to Les BleusEngland and Ireland showcased an adventurous means.
“They are definitely the most athletic [Italy] side that we’ve seen,” the Wales head coach, Warren Gatland, said. “They try to play a wide-wide game. They have had some success in the tournament, but they have also been squeezed.
“England knocked them back and put them under pressure, and Ireland changed defensively after being caught narrow and put them under pressure as they got more width in the second half.
“They will try to move the ball from their own 22 and play a lot of rugby from coast to coast. If you get caught and get narrow, you will get punished. But you can also get rewards from getting your spacing and line speed right.”
Gatland has been chopped and changed in terms of selection throughout the tournament, with only Josh Adams, Joe Hawkins, captain Ken Owens and Adam Beard being picked to start all four games.
Wales have just five matches left before a testing World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September, with work continuing on combinations and forging the right blend of youth and experience.
There is another opportunity for a new Wales center partnership of Mason Grady and Hawkins, while the Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins has been preferred to the 157-cap Alun Wyn Jones as Beard’s second-row colleague.
Gatland added: “We’ve had a lot of changes and midfield partnerships, so it’s about getting some continuity there. There is a 9-10-12 familiarity there with the Ospreys. [Rhys Webb, Owen Williams and Hawkins] and the center partnership from the [Wales] Under-20s.
“Dafydd Jenkins is still learning his roles in terms of calling the lineouts, defensively, but he has got a bit of a hard edge about him. For him, the challenge is the pace and intensity of international rugby and coping with that. He is physical and carries the ball well, and he has definitely got a lot of attributes in terms of improving over time, really.
“We are still giving players a chance to impress. There is a balance between continuity and seeing where players are at this level. There are some players who have improved and others who still need time at this level.”
A 33-strong enjoying staff will head from Rome to Nice, with Wales basing themselves at the Mediterranean coast for 5 days forward of tackling France.
But the quick precedence is a primary win since Wales toppled Argentina 4 months in the past and making improvements to a depressing 20% good fortune price during the last 15 Tests.