Italy continued their recent dominance over Wales on Saturday with another victory over their struggling visitors. This marked the 3rd match in four meetings between the two sides that the Italians have won.
Gatland’s side showed little initiative throughout, finding the urge and intensity to win a test match victory in only the final few minutes – much too late. On the other hand, Italy kicked into third gear in just the 20th minute to take a commanding lead in what would become a comprehensive victory.
Ange Capuozzo, known for his blistering break against Wales some three years earlier, showed he was in the mood to break Welsh hearts once again when he latched onto a Paolo Garbisi grubber kick to the corner.
Sliding on the wet Rome turf, Capuozzo pounced on the bouncing ball to create a clear distance on the scoreboard.
What a finish from Ange Capuozzo 😮💨#GuinnessM6N #ITAvWAL
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) February 8, 2025
Tomasso Allen continued to turn the screw, slotting plenty more points with the boot to ensure that the hosts raced away with victory.
Final score: Italy 22-15 Wales
Speaking to the press after the match, Wales head coach Warren Gatland called the future of Welsh rugby “challenging“, claiming that he has needed to question himself.
“As a group, the players are working incredibly hard. We had some good preparation going into the game and were pretty clear on what we wanted to do,” Gatland explained.
“With the weather conditions, we knew it would be a tight game. It was probably going to be about kicking and taking the opportunities.
“The players are frustrated, the staff and coaches are frustrated as well. We are bitterly disappointed. We created some opportunities that we didn’t finish off.
“Discipline didn’t help us in terms of the penalty count was 14-4 at one point of the game. In fairness to Italy, they kept the scoreboard ticking over with penalty opportunities they got.
“When you are under pressure, some of your decision-making goes off-cue. You definitely feel the pressure as a team that hasn’t won for a while.
“It is the same when we’ve been on winning streaks. You can see the composure and the calmness of the team, waiting for those opportunities.
“That is just where we are at the moment. We just need the bounce of the ball and a couple of decisions to go our way. Those things can quickly turn around.”
Speaking about the victors, Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada added: “In the conditions today, it was super-important to play for territory, have a good set-piece, a lot of discipline, a huge amount of effort to keep this game under control.”
Captain Michele Lamaro did off some consolation to his fallen opposition, however, saying: “With some good motivation, they can turn things around in a short period of time.”
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