The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
Dan Edwards of Wales celebrates with team mates after kicking the ball to score a drop goal(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Here are your rugby headlines for Sunday, March 15.
Louis Rees-Zammit: It all clicked against Scotland
Louis Rees-Zammit believes Wales are only just getting started after their victory over Italy, warning other teams that “there’s more to come” from this talented Welsh squad.
Wales ended their losing run in the Six Nations with a 31-17 win in Cardiff, a performance the winger says reflects the growing confidence inside the camp.
Speaking to BBC after the match, Rees-Zammit said the atmosphere around the team had been building for several weeks.
“It’s unbelievable to play with this team,” he said. “You felt the crowd against Scotland national rugby union team and to do it today was so special.”
He added: “We’ve trusted each other, trusted the system and trusted the coaches.
“When a new coaching system comes in it’s difficult to get on board overnight. It takes time, but credit to the players — we’ve bought into every training session and every game, the Scotland and Ireland national rugby union team games and now today.”
Wales had opened their campaign with heavy defeats to England and France, with Rees-Zammit pointing to early disciplinary issues as a key factor.
“We were quite confident going into the England game, but when you have two yellow cards in the first 20 minutes it’s pretty hard to come back from.
“It was difficult to show what we wanted to show, the same with the French game.”
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However, he believes the turning point came as Wales tightened up defensively and began to find their rhythm as a group.
“That’s when we sorted our defence and came together.
“I thought the first 20 minutes against Scotland was when it clicked.”
Rees-Zammit also highlighted the balance within the squad, praising the forward pack for laying the platform for an exciting backline.
“We’ve got an exciting backline and the forwards have been incredible the past three games,” he said.
“There’s so much positivity in this camp. And there’s more to come.”
Martin Johnson blown away by Dan Edwards moment
Martin Johnson has hailed Dan Edwards’ superb drop goal against Italy as his highlight of the Six Nations.
Edwards, who also scored the fourth try as Wales eased their to a 31-17 win over Italy in Cardiff, booted over four minutes later, in a moment that left World Cup winner Johnson in awe.
“I love this drop goal,” he said while dissecting the contest for the BBC.
“This was the moment of the championship for me. I had a great view of it as well and I just thought ‘just catch it kid and kick it over, three points’.
“We saw Scotland last week take control of the game and then everything went their way, and we saw it again today with Wales. They took control of the game. They were brave, they were aggressive, they were strong. Everything started to go their way.
“As soon as he hit it, you thought, ‘That’s three points.
“That really put the game away.”
Wales leader says ‘it means everything’ amid the noise
Dewi Lake said Wales’ long-awaited victory “means everything” after the skipper helped end his side’s miserable run in the Six Nations Championship.
Wales secured a 31-17 win over Italy in Cardiff to halt a 15-match losing streak in the competition stretching back to 2023.
Wales ran in three converted tries before the break to take firm control of the contest, with Lake himself crossing alongside a brace from Aaron Wainwright.
The hosts led 21-0 at half-time and extended that advantage early in the second half when Dan Edwards added another try and conversion before later producing a superb long-range drop-goal to make it 31-0.
Italy rallied late with three tries in the final half hour but had left themselves with far too much to do.
For Wales, however, the victory brought relief after a difficult tournament.
“The win means everything to the players,” Lake said in a post-match interview with BBC. “It’s what we’ve been building to and working for.”
Wales had endured heavy defeats to England and France earlier in the campaign, before far closer contests against Scotland and Ireland suggested progress was being made.
Lake said the improvement in performances over recent weeks had been clear within the squad.
“The last few weeks our performances have built and we’ve grown as a group from Scotland, to Ireland and now to this week when we gave our best performance.”
The win also came during a turbulent period off the pitch in Welsh rugby, with the Welsh Rugby Union planning to reduce the number of professional regions from four to three.
Lake himself is leaving Ospreys at the end of the season to join Gloucester Rugby. But the Wales captain insisted the squad had remained focused despite the ongoing controversy.
“There’s a lot of noise and stuff going on behind the scenes in Welsh rugby,” he said.
“But once we’re in camp, all your focus goes on playing for Wales and that’s easy to do.
“Everything you do is for days like today and moments like this in the jersey in front of all these fans who have supported us through tough times.”
Italy boss: Welsh heart was bigger than ours
Italy boss Gonzalo Quesada heaped praise on Wales, saying Welsh “heart and physicality” outdid the visitors in Cardiff.
Italy were within touching distance of creating a first for themselves after upsetting Scotland and England earlier in the tournament.
They had never won three games in the same Six Nations campaign, but history was to elude them.
Italy head coach Quesada said: “We saw a big improvement from Wales against Ireland and we knew they had the opportunity to put everything out there to get victory.
“It was a big game from Wales and they never gave up.
“The win was maybe bigger for them. Their heart and physicality was bigger than us in the first half.
“We did better in the second half, but that first half defined the game.”