Six Nations: Wales hoping to restore some pride against winless Italy

Pride at stake in Cardiff

Wales can conclude a disappointing Six Nations title defence by moving into the top three when they kick off Super Saturday against rock-bottom Italy.  

Wayne Pivac’s side have failed to put up a serious Championship challenge and go into the final round in fifth place, above an Azzurri side on a 36-match Six Nations losing run.

Both sides are playing mostly for pride at this stage, but the Welsh can still finish as high as third if they bag a big win at the Principality Stadium and results in the other two games go their way.

Welsh not far away

Wales earned a lot of credit for their performance last weekend, when they pushed Grand Slam-chasing France close in a 13-9 defeat in Cardiff.

They were ultimately let down by their attack, as they couldn’t capitalise on 56% territory and 53% possession and failed to score a try in a home Six Nations game for the first time since 2009.

"We're not too far off. Is the attack exactly where we want it to be at the moment? No. Can it improve? Yes, it can and that's what we'll be trying to do this weekend,” Pivac said.

They should have more luck against an Italian team that has shipped 160 points in four defeats so far, and Pivac was confident enough to make seven changes to his side.  

The big news is the return of captain Alun Wyn Jones, who will make his first appearance since October following a shoulder injury, and it will be a special occasion for the iconic second row, who becomes the first player to reach 150 Test caps.

Wales will be hoping to sign off with a win after a disappointing Six Nations campaign where they never got close to challenging for the trophy

Biggar's centenary 

Fly-half Dan Biggar also reaches a major landmark by earning his 100^th cap, while Johnny McNicholl, Louis Rees-Zammit, Willis Halaholo, Gareth Davies, Dewi Lake and Dillon Lewis have been drafted in.

Pivac brushed away suggestions that his wholesale changes showed a cavalier attitude to the threat posed by the Italians, insisting “it’s believing in your squad”.

But they will need to be on their guard after the visitors showed improvement in last weekend’s defeat to Scotland.

The Azzurri lost 33-22 in Rome but finished strongly as debutant winger Ange Capuozzo scored two late tries, and they crossed the whitewash three times in total to finally show some verve in attack after a hitherto low-scoring campaign.

Crowley making progress

Coach Kieran Crowley’s maiden Six Nations campaign has been a challenging one, but the performance against Scotland hinted at progress from a team that hasn’t experienced a Championship victory since 2015.

The odds reflect that their wait is extremely unlikely to end on Saturday, with a Wales win priced at 1.02 and an Italian victory at 16.5.

Wales should win comfortably in front of their home crowd, but Pivac’s squad rotation, Wales’ problems in attack and some signs of improvement from Italy mean a punt on the visitors keeping the margin of defeat to under 26 points looks good value at 2.14.

Recommended bet

Asian Handicap Italy +25.5 @ 2.14