We look at the fallout from Wales' shocking home defeat at home to perennial basement battlers Italy.
The reality is Welsh rugby is in a mess, from the national team down. Where is the vision and bold thinking to take the game forward? There will be calls for Pivac to go, and loud ones at that, although history tells us ripping it up and starting in the run-up to a World Cup rarely works. But Wales attempted to run at Italy before they had put in the spadework up front, they were suspect in defence, indisciplined and, blew a handful of golden opportunities. Should Tomas Francis have been involved to turn the screw on Italy in the scrums? Was it a good idea to bench Nick Tompkins instead of starting him and omit Liam Williams, Alex Cuthbert and Gareth Anscombe from the matchday squad? The quickest way to motor around some of Italy’s busier streets is via a Vespa with its ability to weave in and out of heavy traffic. This time they were at home and looking to nail down a third-place finish in this year’s championship. It was a shocking day for Wayne Pivac, one that brought the detractors out again. In defeat, the wing emerged as a winner. Italy have waited that long for a success in the competition. But their win over Wales shows the future isn't as bleak for them as many have been saying.
Wales v Italy live stream: This is the first match on Super Saturday as the 2022 Six Nations comes to a close and both teams will want to end on a high.
It’s $41 per month but the first seven days are free and you can cancel at any time. They came close against Scotland, with debutant Ange Capuozzo impressing with two tries, but their seven-year wait to triumph in the championship goes on. If you live in the States, the official broadcaster of Six Nations matches is NBC, with matches streamed live on Peacock Premium, which is available for $4.99 a month. If you want to tune in to the game from the Land of the Long White Cloud, the match kicks off at 3.15am on Sky Sport NZ 1. Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. In Italy, Sky Italia have the rights to show the Six Nations this year while TV8 will also show the match on free-to-air TV. Kick-off is 3.15pm Italy time.
Byron Hayward's side welcome the Italians, who have beat England and Scotland in this year's tournament to Colwyn Bay for their final match of the tournament.
Wales headed into the competition as defending champions but have so far lost to England, France and Ireland. They do not have a shot at the title but they have ...
Edoardo Padovani crossed the line late on before Paolo Garbisi converted to give Italy a 22-21 victory, their first against Wales away from home.
That seemed to knock the zeal out of Italy. Wyn Jones was held up over the line shortly after, though that seemed inconsequential as Wales were all but assured of a scrappy win. It was a fitting conclusion to a game that ended with several Italy players in tears. They started brightly and were 6-0 up after a penalty each from Garbisi and Padovani. Their aggression on the ground seemed to take Wales by surprise and it took the better part of half an hour for Wales to find their groove. If they were to get back in it they would need an unlikely touch of class. The gap would have widened if Capuozzo had managed to dot down a loose ball after Garbisi’s cross-kick to Montanna Ioane. But Italy were good value for their first half-time lead in the tournament since 2019. That seemed to spook the home side with Biggar attacking the line with greater ambition. A turnover in their own 22m was swiftly moved up field with Rees-Zammit and Uilisi Halaholo leading the charge. This is Italy’s first win over Wales after 16 defeats and their first in Cardiff. They had not won a Six Nations game in seven years. Then Ange Capuozzo collected the ball deep inside his own half with a minute remaining. The men in red were turgid, uncreative and ill-disciplined. This was supposed to be a day to celebrate two of Wales’s greats. They were playing a team on a 36-game losing streak in the Six Nations. What could go wrong?
Italy have been the better side and have been good value for their five-point lead.
Six Nations Super Saturday begins in Cardiff, where Wales will hope to finish a difficult campaign with a flourish against lowly Italy.
Too many boys not quite up to speed, we were second to loose balls and balls in the air. Capuozzo is the superstar of our squad right now and that last try was amazing. The visitors had earlier carved out an advantage with two early penalties, only for Owen Watkin to score the first try of the day for Wales.
The curtain is set to come down on another thrilling Six Nations Championship, and Wales will look to end their campaign on a high after failing to defend ...
losing because of decisions is hard". Assistant Shaun Edwards told BT Sport after the match: "We'd like to have a bit of an explanation about the knock-on in the last tackle which led to a try. "There was a knock-on in the lead-up. “It’s something that is certainly close to my heart because it was dad’s motto when he was a teacher," he told Ruck.co.uk. There were a couple of other big decisions that the French felt didn't go their way that day, with head coach Fabien Galthié saying after the match that "the game was won by decisions not actions... England eased their way to victory that day, despite officials appearing to miss a knock-on in the build-up to a try that forced the contest into extra time. His first game involving Wales came the following year, with Brace named as the man in the middle for their Test with Argentina. Last year, the 33-year-old was in the middle for two Six Nations clashes, including Scotland's historic win over England at Twickenham. It's safe to say life as a referee isn't easy at the best of times, with Brace himself once admitting: “One of the best bits of advice I ever received was that if you’re not being talked about afterwards, you’ve had a good game.” That certainly wasn't the case back in 2020 when he oversaw a controversial win for England over France in the Autumn Nations Cup final.
WALES are welcoming captain Alun Wyn Jones back ahead of schedule as they take on whipping boys Italy in their final Six Nations match.The lock disloc.
It's a huge day for two Welsh rugby legends as Dan Biggar wins his 100th Wales cap and Alun Wyn Jones remarkably gets his 150th. Both of those start in a Wales ...
Wales take on Italy as they bid to finish third in the 2022 Six Nations table. Both of those start in a Wales side that shows seven changes from the one which lost narrowly to France. You can see the results needed here.
Minute-by-minute report: Join Niall McVeigh for updates from the Principality Stadium as Wales and Italy kick off the final day of action.
Last year's Six Nations champions wrap up their 2022 campaign at home to Italy, with Wales hopeful that a bonus-point win could propel them as high as third ...
Kieran Crowley's men are already guaranteed to leave this year's championship with a seventh successive Wooden Spoon but will at least hope to scrape their first point in Cardiff. Fellow Lion Dan Biggar will retain the captaincy, however, as he prepares to lead the team in his 100th Wales appearance. Wayne Pivac's men wrapped up recent defeats to England and France as the dominant party, threatening to overcome a 17-point deficit against the former.