Italy Vs. Wales: Key Battles In Rome, As Teams Look To Get In Win Column
Italy Vs. Wales: Key Battles In Rome, As Teams Look To Get In Win Column
Here are three key points as Italy hosts Warren Gatland's Wales in Round 2 of The Guinness Six Nations, looking to hand Italy a 14th consecutive defeat.
Wales will walk onto the iconic Stadio Olimpico on Saturday afternoon knowing it will need a gladiatorial showing for the ages while taking on an ascending Italian team.
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Both sides enter their Round 2 Guinness Six Nations clash on the back of losses, leading many to believe that this weekend’s match could be the wooden spoon decider for 2025.
Fresh off a 43-0 drubbing, Wales is at an all-time low with the very real potential of slipping further down the World Rankings to such an extent that tier-two side Georgia will overtake the Welsh for the first time in history.
Italy, on the other hand, will feel far more comfortable having pushed Scotland all the way in Murrayfield, before coming unstuck 31-19.
With the table firmly set by Welsh legend Dan Biggar, who was anointed this weekend as Welsh Rugby’s biggest match of the past 20 years, here are three key areas that could decide the outcome:
The Power Game
Rarely, if ever, have we entered a clash between these two sides with the dial firmly twisted toward Italy when it comes to sheer horsepower.
Blessed with explosive athletes throughout their 23, the Azzurri are a real threat across the park.
Highlighting this power game is their center combination of Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncell,o, who it could be argued are the best center pairing in the Six Nations. Both players are north of 6-foot and 90 kilograms with bundles of pace and gainline breaking ability.
In the pack, the likes of Sebastian Negri, Lorenzo Cannone, Danilo Fischetti and Giacomo Nicotera are explosive ball carriers whille out wide.
The Italian back three are truly lethal.
Wales, in stark contrast, lacks out-and-out carrying options. Reflecting this issue is the recall of 34-year-old Taulupe Faletau at No. 8 in place of the injured Aaron Wainwright.
To the team's credit, Wales did well at scrum time against France, but a blunt attack truly was costly, with France simply soaking up pressure before targeting the breakdown.
If Wales cannot rectify this area significantly, it could prove to be a long afternoon.
Desperation And Complacency
Removing any semblance of game plan, playing ability or logic, there is a growing level of intrigue as to how Italy will handle the rare favorite tag.
This, combined with Welsh desperation, is an area head coach Gonzalo Quesada no doubt will be hammering home ahead of kickoff.
Warren Gatland no doubt will be niggling his side about putting pride back in the Welsh shirt on the back of 13 consecutive losses. While this point is less about a tangible factor, emotion in a clash like this cannot be underrated.
X-Factor
Should this match be dragged into a tetchy slugfest, it could come down to which side can produce a moment of magic.
Again, in this department, the odds are firmly stacked in Italy’s favor. One name in particular that jumps out is Toulouse star Ange Capuozzo, who does not need a second invite to break open a match.
Touching down for the decisive try when Italy downed Wales in Cardiff in 2022, Capuozzo firmly announced himself to the world stage. Since then, he has played key roles in Toulouse’s Investec Champions Cup and Top 14 titles.
Away from the glitzy winger, Menoncello, Brex, and Monty Ioane could all cause the Welsh headache if given half a chance.
For Wales, Ben Thomas has been a bright spot, albeit he still feels somewhat out of position at fly-half.
Taking on the physical French defense with aplomb, the Cardiff star topped the carry charts in Paris. On his outside, 22-year-old Eddie James is an intriguing prospect, and at 6-foot-4 and 110kg could be the missing ingredient for Wales to get some gainline advantage.
The Verdict
The Six Nations, and International Rugby as a whole, need these two nations to be strong.
Italy, to its credit, has done incredible work over the past few years and now is a competitive force.
Wales, which historically has been a big player, feels like it needs to tear everything down to the foundations and start again.
Could a winless Six Nations be the catalyst for this change? Or would it simply just pile more misery on some of rugby’s greatest supporters. Either way, this weekend, while it is Wales' best chance, still is a step too far for Warren Gatland’s side. Italy by 15.
Italy And Wales Rosters
Italy
15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Luca Rizzoli, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Dino Lamb, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Ross Vintcent, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Jacopo Trulla
Wales
15 Liam Williams, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Eddie James, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 James Botham, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Evan Lloyd, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Blair Murray
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