Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
That’s your lot from me. I’m heading straight over to bring you live updates of the Six Nations finale in Paris. Thanks for all you time – and messages – and please join me over there. Here is Michael Aylwin’s match report …
And the France v England MBM …
Updated at 15.14 EDT
Aaron Wainwright was a deserved Player Of The Match
“Incredible to win. The last two games we played really well but hado’t got across the line, the way we started this game and finished it showed the character of the group. To have the stadium this packed and to hear the noise as I say was incredible. We’ll celebrate as a team tonight, hopefully everyone can see we are learning and improving.”
“This is the best Six Nations in years” ventures Alistair Connor, “jeopardy in nearly every game; unexpected results ever week. And the Welsh renaissance is the best news of all. I’m just hoping that Le Crunch doesn’t deliver an upset, because Ireland doesn’t deserve to win the title.”
That will be as satisfying for Wales as it’s disappointing for Italy. If they were being honest, Wales know that the wins vs Japan were not of an order that made anyone feel better. This one will lead to a warm glow, regardless of their position in the table come the end.
ShareFULL TIME! Wales 31 – 17 Italy
PEEEEP! Wales win a Six Nations game for the first time in three years!
Updated at 14.38 EDT
TRY! Wales 31 – 17 Italy (Paolo Garbisi)
80 mins. The ball is run up the blindside and interchanged through a few hands before the out-half grounds in the corner.
He misses the conversion.
79 mins. Wainwright tidies up a flappy pass off the lineout as Wales attempt to milk the clock for the last minute. But there’s a knock-on in the tight which will give Italy a scrum for one last, largely pointless attack.
78 mins. Odiase carries the ball from the base of the scrum and into the red tacklers, the ball is recycled quickly and moves to the right for Marin to drive to the line and ground with one hand while Hawkins attempts to twist him in the tackle to prevent a clean grounding.
The grounding looks a bit “bouncy”, so the TMO takes a look. Again it’s NO TRY!
You have to give credit to Hawkins there, as well as Botham who contributed to disrupting Marin’s path to the line.
77 mins. A Italian scrum takes a fair old while to complete on the Wales 5m line.
75 mins. Italy again continue to run the game at this point, with lots of phases in the 22 inching them forwards. However, Garbisi loses patience with this and angles a grubber towards Ioane’s wing, but there was no space for there to be a realistic chance of success and Mee can shepherd it into touch. A poor option.
72 mins. Varney darts from the base of the ruck and pops to Menoncello to race up the right touchline, but this time he is hunted down by Wainwright. This doesn’t stop the Italian attack as they fling it through hands all the way to Ioane to dive into the corner and ground it one-handed.
He was very tight to the touchline and so the TMO inevitably takes a look and it appears his right knee hits the grass in-touch a split second before he grounds the ball. NO TRY!
That was so close, and credit to Ellis Mee who put him under enough pressure to prevent the score.
ShareTRY! Wales 31 – 12 Italy (Tommasso Allan)
69 mins. Italy are on the up now with Menoncello again running free, this time on the right, to pop to Allan who is stopped by Williams short of the line. He ignored a runner inside him and looked to have ruined a golden opportunity, but to his credit he gets up and runs all the way around to the other side of the field to receive the ball once more to this time make no mistake.
Garbisi misses the conversion
Allan scores their Italy’s second try. Photograph: David Davies/PAShare
Updated at 14.32 EDT
66 mins. The ball is slow off the top of an Italy lineout, which allows Williams to race through and steal the ball as it falls from the sky. He is this close to finding a team-mate with his offload but it drifts forward.
Italy spring to the left from the scrum and Menoncello hits one of his angles and is away, rounding Rees-Zammit and looks to be in open pasture before Adams drops him with a fabulous, desperate ankle-tap. The ball is recycled to the left touchline where Ioane is forced into touch by the scrambling Welsh defence.
64 mins. Italy contain the maul and prevent it moving forward that forces Williams to move the ball into midfield. Mee is carrying the ball, once more off his wing to make metres, but Menoncello is all over him in the ruck to win a penalty. Garbisi clears it to touch
62 mins. Archie Griffin is back on and his first job will be as part of a Wales lineout on the Italy 22.
61 mins. Italy are making the most of their one man advantage with their best period of the game. They win a penalty on the 22 and send it to the corner for another go at the Wales line.
The catch and drive comes on, which allows Nicotera to race to the line where a combination of Mee and Williams get under him to hold up the ball. Great defensive effort.
59 mins. Adams is at the forefront again, this time in defence as he rushes up and onto Pani to close down a potential overlap. The pressure forces Pani to panic-slap the ball towards Ioane, but it sails into touch as he crumples in a heap under Adams’s tackle.
57 mins. After that mini-rally from Italy, Wales are back on the ball and in the Italian half. From first phase ball off the top of the lineout they move up to the 22. Adams steps back inside and trough the tackle line, but a couple of phases later Nicky Smith is penalised at the ruck.
ShareYELLOW CARD! Archie Griffin (Wales)
52 mins. Griffin entered the maul illegally in the lead up which the ref considered cynical in the scoring zone.
ShareTRY! Wales 31 – 7 Italy (Tommaso di Bartolomeo)
51 mins. Italy decide to make me look stupid by first winning a scrum penalty, then rolling a maul from a lineout over the Wales line for di Bartolomeo to score. The defence was very half-hearted, it must be said.
Garbisi adds the conversion.
48 mins. Wales have been solid and their improvement of the last few weeks has been maintained, but Italy have made it very easy by being woeful. Their defence is sluggish, the discipline is appalling and their set piece is like it’s made of rotting pallets.
ShareDROP GOAL! Wales 31 – 0 Italy (Dan Edwards)
47 mins. Italy drop the ball out from under the posts directly to Edwards, forty metres out. He carries the ball forward a few metres then wallops a drop-goal over with all the confidence of a man who has had a good few minutes. And it just got better!
“Did not see this coming!” cries Matthew Dony. “Italy will no doubt step up a gear in the second half but Wales have been brilliant. In the context of recent years, this has been an astonishing half of rugby. More of the same, please”
Updated at 13.51 EDT
TRY! Wales 28 – 0 Italy (Dan Edwards)
44 mins. Wales are quickly back into the 22, with the ball being moved sensibly in phases before big runs from Carre and Wainwright set them up for a return to the right hand side. Edwards receives the ball and runs on an arced run around the tired Italy defence to score.
He then adds two points. That’s the bonus point for Wales and this is officially becoming a rout.
Dan Edwards scores. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/ReutersEdwards of Wales celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth try. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.37 EDT
42 mins. Zero percent nonsense from Fusco who simply catches the restart and immediately hammers it to touch. Wales win a tidy lineout and are back on the attack, Mee again to the fore carrying strongly up to the 22 before the go-forward fizzles out and so a sensible kick is sent into the corner to put Ioane under pressure.
ShareSecond Half!
Dan Edwards restarts the match with a kick deep into Italian territory.
“I can’t really complain as I am sitting on my balcony in Greece watching a beautiful sunset surrounded by the Φιλοξενία of my adopted people, which is loosely translated as a version of ‘Hwyl’” reports Joanne Hartland. “Things could only be improved if anybody here was showing the rugby but Guardian minute-by-minute is my saviour. So sending everybody Γιάμας , Iechyd Dda, and Salute. I’m so glad to see us ahead at halftime. Cymru am Byth!”
I don’t know about can’t complain, Joanne, but you certainly shouldn’t complain.
ShareHALF TIME! Wales 21 – 0 Italy
40+1 mins. Italy navigate a tricky 5m defensive scrum for Garbisi to chip out of play to end the half.
39 mins. There’s no catch-maul-try chain of events from Wales this time, and the ball ends up in midfield. Wales are on the 5m line under the posts, but the ball is nudged forward in contact.
38 mins. Pani runs hard into midfield and directly into Olympic sprinting’s own Rhys Carre, who not only stops him but then stoops over to clamp on the ball and win a penalty.
Edwards puts it in the corner.
37 mins. A scrum takes a while to complete; at one point looking like a Wales penalty but Ref Ridley concludes both sides were popping up at the same time.
When it finally completes James spills the ball in contact on a huge crash ball angled run.
Updated at 13.24 EDT
33 mins. Wales try a few phases on the halfway line before Williams kicks one towards the corner that Fusco covers and marks in the 22.
31 mins. Italy are in all sorts of trouble here. Wales are confident and have the upper hand in the set piece which has brought three tries, while the Italians appear to have lost the ref entirely as he is seeing infringements from them everywhere. The latest penalty given away by a blue shirt is at a ruck in the Wales half.
ShareTRY! Wales 21 – 0 Italy (Dewi Lake)
29 mins. The Welsh pack have the Italians on toast so far via the lineout maul and so it proves again after Edwards puts it in the corner. The ball goes to the tail and Lake does the honours from the back of the rumbling maul.
Edwards converts.
James Botham of Wales celebrates after Dewi Lake of Wales (obscured) scores his team’s third try. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 13.26 EDT
28 mins. Wales win the ball back at the restart and spring up the right of the field, James chasing and gathering a grubber kick in the Italian 22. They move the ball left where there is a huge overlap, but the passes are not good and this allows the defence to scramble and engulf Adams. The ball comes back to the other side of the pitch where Ioane is penalised for a ruck infringement.
ShareTRY! Wales 14 – 0 Italy (Aaron Wainwright)
26 mins. The home side take the option of a 5m lineout via Edwards’s boot. Lake throws a low lineout to Carter for the maul to gather and hammer forward quickly over the line for Wainwright to grab his second of the match!
Edwards converts
Wainwright of Wales scores a try. Photograph: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 13.18 EDT
24 mins. Wales win a scrum penalty and send it to touch near the Italy 22. Hawkins has a run from the lineout but is rattled to a halt and driven backwards, which looks to have impact for Italy before Zuliani handles the ball in the ruck in his eagerness to rub Hawkins nose in it.
22 mins. The game spends a few minutes in the middle third with each side in possession for a bit. Garbisi decides he’s had enough of this and sends a kick high for Lynagh to chase, which he reaches first but drops forward.
19 mins. Clean win from the Italian lineout is nearly maximised when Fusco dummies and races towards the line. He pumps his legs but doesn’t have enough to break the Welsh tacklers and as the ball moves left the passing is imprecise, sends the ball to the grass and Mee toe-punts it away.
17 mins. That try has Wales’s tails up slightly as their runners have increased their intensity a little in a few phases from the restart. However, this comes to a halt when Brex reads a pass behind the line and sprints onto Mann, isolates him, and wins a penalty when the back-rower holds onto the ball.
ShareTRY! Wales 7 – 0 Italy (Aaron Wainwright)
15 mins. A decent lineout finally for Wales, this time on the Italy 22. Mee is prominent again as he takes a carry on the arc from his wing into the heart of the Italian defence before the ball is recycled to Wainwright on a brilliant line from deep to drive over.
Edwards converts
Wainwright of Wales runs in to score. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 13.04 EDT
13 mins. Mee calmly finds Rees-Zammit with a pass in the 22 for the fullback to cream a massive kick that puts Fusco under pressure. Mee follows up and then wins a penalty for Fusco not releasing the ball in the tackle. An excellent couple of minutes for the young winger.
ShareMISSED PENALTY! Wales 0 – 0 Italy (Paolo Garbisi)
12 mins. The Welsh lineout is like a drunk monkey convention at the minute, and the latest one is lost via another knock-on that Mann then pounces on from an offside position.
Garbisi tees it up but strikes it horrifically.
10 mins. The ball runs loose from a red hand and it falls to the worst person possible from a Wales point of view: Menoncello. He races sixty metres up the left side of the pitch and flings a pass to Ioane before the scrambling defence does enough to haul him down. Italy spay it to the right, but the breakdown is frenetic and gives possession back to Wales via a penalty.
8 mins. Wales run to to the right from a scrum in teh middle of the field. Edward moves towards the line, but it’s very lateral and he takes the option to chip over the top that is too deep and Garbisi easily marks it in the 22. A waste of an attacking position.
6 mins. The first lineout for Wales is overthrown to Mann at the tail and lost forward to Italian hands. The visitors do nothing with it other than kick to touch to give Wales another go around halfway, which they kick high from and a good take by Lynagh is ruined by Fischetti spilling the ball on the next phase.
4 mins. Some phases from Wales in the Italian half are building some momentum, but the Azzuri defence is very cute in not putting many in the ruck, instead marshalling themselves across the field to contain the runners. Eventually, James is held up in the tackle and when the ball deosn’t emerge Italy have a well won scrum.
italy’s Niccolo Cannone is tackled. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 12.51 EDT
2 mins. Ruzza juggles with the first lineout after Wales clear the kick off, but the Italian forwards do enough to retain possession. At least until two phases later when it’s nicked at the ruck for Edwards to clear.
ShareKick Off!
Garbisi boots us underway
Officials today:
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
“Watching from Minneapolis and refusing to let hope anywhere near me.” writes El Rose. She could be commenting on Wales’s chances or the current US political landscape.
The roof is closed, the lights are down, and the fireworks are popping as the teams emerge from the tunnel. Kick off soon.
“Currently on a plane heading to Mexico.” Stephen Halliday informs us. “Have just finished following along the Ireland – Scotland match and am knackered! Hoping for more of the same from this game!!”
“I’m following your commentary from Canada.” says Roger Moore, “Went to the stadium in Cardiff with my dad and my grandad. I still think of it as the Cardiff Arms Park. Many memories of the good old golden days. Hoping for another good day today. Cymru am Byth!”
Updated at 12.23 EDT
Pre-match reading
Get in touch with me prior to and throughout the match on the email. It’s likely to be an eventful day as Super Saturday unfolds, so keep me updated on your throughts.
ShareTeams
Wales
Louis Rees‑Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carré, Dewi Lake (c), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Ollie Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Blair Murray.
Italy
Lorenzo Pani; Louis Lynagh, Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Alessandro Fusco; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Muhamed Hasa; Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Michele Lamaro (c), Manuel Zuliani, Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Mirco Spagnolo, Giosuè Zilocchi, Riccardo Favretto, Davide Odiase, Stephen Varney, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Allan
SharePreamble
There’s a famous Italian phrase La Dolce Vita, which I believe translates directly to “we beat England, have some of that!”. This is the energy Gonzalo Quesada’s men bring to Cardiff today as they seek their first ever three-win Six Nations tournament. Their final position in the table is to be determined by results elsewhere today, but as a way marker for their development this is of lesser import than the number in the W column.
Wales also have their own language of course, and whether they speak it or not all fans of Cymru will have the feeling of digon nawr – “enough now”. Enough of governance and administrative clustershambles, enough non sell-out matches, enough rationalisation of poor performances, enough losing. For all Italy’s tangible improvement, this was always the match that presented the home side with the best chance of avoiding the wooden spoon and they will be pouring everything into this.
Will it be enough? The form suggests not and added to this the Azzuri have their own motivation to inspire them. Can Wales summon their recent vastly improved outings and add the extra required to overcome this? All will be revealed in the next few hours.