Wales declare first Six Nations win in three years by outclassing Italy in Cardiff | EUROtoday

Wales tackle Italy on the Principality Stadium within the penultimate match of this 12 months’s Six Nations. Italy have gained the final two conferences and three of the final 4.

Wales are backside of the desk and on target for a 3rd straight picket spoon. After back-to-back heavy defeats towards England and France to start out the match, they got here agonisingly near beating Scotland earlier than pushing Ireland shut final day out.

“Having an unchanged team reflects the cohesion and the consistency in the group and the consistency of performance out in Ireland,” Wales head coach Steve Tandy mentioned. “This week we need to go up another level. We have had some good performances. There were parts against France, then we built up into the Scotland game where I thought we were very good. Against Ireland we stepped up to the plate physically. Now it is putting it all together and creating our best performance this weekend.”

They go looking for their first Six Nations win in over 1,000 days, with their final victory within the competitors coming towards right this moment’s opponents in Rome again in March 2023. That run with no win within the Six Nations now stands at 15 consecutive defeats within the competitors.

“For the team and myself, going back to Principality Stadium is amazing,” Tandy added. “The boys did well creating their own energy against Ireland, but there is nothing better than being at home. The boys reference in meetings what the Scotland game meant to them, as well as the matches against France and New Zealand. The fans have been incredible and I think they are behind the team and the team are putting in performances to represent our nation.”

Italy made historical past final weekend, beating England for the primary time as they claimed a 23-18 win in Rome. They have two wins to their identify now going into the ultimate spherical, figuring out a win of any type will seal a fourth-place end.

“No-one is talking about two wins or three wins,” mentioned Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada. “The goal is more to finish our first Six Nations with full consistency and having five good games. That is something that has never happened. There was always a game where things did not work and there was a big loss. I promise it is not just words, it is exactly what we are after.”

Italy have gained on their final two journeys to Cardiff however Quesada is conscious of the desperation the hosts might be taking part in with this afternoon.

“We know that Wales must win this game, they must win it,” Quesada added. “They produced amazing performances against Ireland and Scotland but you can be in these periods where the results are not there, not even if you play as well and fight as hard as they did and the stunning physicality they put in against Ireland. We are preparing mentally and physically to be ready for what will be, for me, the toughest game of the whole Six Nations.”

Kick-off from Cardiff is at 4.40pm.