Wales cunning plan too be the best Tier 2 team in world rugby is baring fruit. This from: https://www.planetrugby.com/news/italy-v-wales-five-takeaways-as-azzurris-golden-youth-come-of-age-while-warren-gatlands-time-looks-to-be-up
The opening quarter of this match truly represented a Six Nations Wooden Spoon decider as neither side showed much accuracy or ruthlessness with ball in hand and the conditions certainly didn’t make matters any easier.
The game needed a spark with the scores level at three apiece and it was the Azzurri’s hero Paolo Garbisi who provided it as he latched onto a Martin Page-Relo pass, threw a glorious dummy, sprinted into a half-gap and put in a perfect grubber that Ange Capouzzo exploited brilliantly to score.
That set the tone for Italy’s performance as they marched into the sheds with a remarkable 16-3 lead as they bossed the gain-line, breakdown and aerials with Tommaso Allan deadly accurate off the tee knocking over the conversion and two more penalties.
While Allan’s radar was less accurate in the second half, missing his first two shots with Page-Relo missing another, the full-back was successful with his third attempt in the second 40 after Josh Adams was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle.
That successful penalty pushed the Italians into a commanding 16-point lead and while Wales threatened a comeback when Aaron Wainwright crossed the line, Allan made one final mark on the match with a penalty.
Late ill-discipline gave Wales a sniff at a stalemate as Marco Riccioni and Dino Lamb were sent to the sin bin with the latter’s indiscretion resulting in a penalty try.
However, Warren Gatland’s charges were unable to make the most of their opportunity and fell to a 14th successive defeat as the knives are well and truly out as another Wooden Spoon finish awaits after a maiden back-to-back defeat to the Azzurri.
Italy’s golden youth earn a place at the adult’s table
Much of Italy’s improvement in recent years has been credited to a golden generation of players and that is true with the likes of Garbisi, the Cannone brothers, Seb Negri, Nach Brex, Menoncello and Capuozzo – to name a few – at Gonzalo Quesada’s disposa;.
But it’s one thing having a golden generation of youth and getting them to reach their heights and today it felt like a maturing match for the Azzurri. Not only were they comfortably the better outfit, armoured with the favourite tag too, but they went about their victory in an adult fashion.
Far too often, they have forced things and tried to win in stylish fashion but the conditions were not conducive and Quesada’s men were not only wise to that but played them far better than Gatland’s charges.
Once the Six Nations whipping boys, the Azzurri are now at the adults’ table and can produce those intelligent, well-managed games and not be burdened by the expectation of performances or favourite’s tag.
The performance of fly-half Garbisi is the clearest example of just how much this Italian team have grown. Not once today did he try the outrageous or win the match through his own brilliant skillset, he is not that player anymore. He was happy to bide his time and wait for the opportunity to strike or create it for one of his teammates. Even his drop goal attempt was the right call, at the right time.
Woeful Wales fall to an all-new low
It’s been a bleak 12 months for Welsh rugby, but today’s loss to Italy was, quite literally, the lowest point they have ever been.
For the first time since 2003, Wales are now below Georgia in the World Rugby rankings table, and to be honest it doesn’t seem like they will climb above them any time soon either, given the way they are playing.
Wales were simply second-best in every area in the defeat to Italy. Up front, they were monstered in the scrum, lost the lineout duel and found themselves wanting in the breakdown and the carry too, which is a far cry from the Wales side we watched in Gatland’s first spell.
In the backline too, things just aren’t flowing and they are reverting to incredibly simple rugby, and let’s face it, it’s not a modern Tier 1-level attack.
Since taking the reins, Gatland made Wales a formidable side that could beat anyone; but now it feels a team have to be at their absolute worst to be beaten by them.
They are, quite literally, at their lowest point, and it seems they will only fall from here too.
Gatland out?
He should, and hopefully will, go down as one of Wales’ greatest-ever servants, but it seems it’s now time for him to walk.
It’s hard going for the Kiwi coach right now, considering the pool of talent available to him is markedly different to the one he had in his first tenure, but the game has moved on from ‘Gatland-ball’; he’s becoming stale.
The game, even at Test level, is moving towards more free-flowing, fast-paced attack, and that just isn’t Gatland’s style. For years, he made Wales incredibly tough up front and wanted them to grind teams down before striking.
Again, despite not having the likes of George North, Jamie Roberts or Dan Biggar to call upon anymore, his selections and comments on selections have left his post almost untenable.
This backline is crying out for an experienced fly-half, but yet he’s left Gareth Anscombe twiddling his thumbs at Kingsholm this Six Nations.
Elsewhere, Wales are crying out for a proper silky 13, but yet he’s also left Max Llewellyn at home, and they could really do with an attack-minded full-back too, but again Cameron Winnett is out of the squad.
The most confusing one is Jarrod Evans with the Harlequins fly-half tearing up trees in the Premiership too, to the point where people want him in the number ten jumper over Marcus Smith at the Stoop.
These players would all have done a serious job this Six Nations and could turn Wales around completely, but yet don’t fit into what Gatland wants right now.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing multiple times and expecting different results, and it just seems the Wales coach is doing exactly that. It’s surely now time for him to go.
Time to open the door to Georgia?
The Six Nations really is rugby’s greatest international championship, it provides the thrills and closely fought encounters that the Rugby Championship just doesn’t do as regularly.
But could it be better? The short answer is absolutely. For too long, Georgia have been banging at the door with their cries ignored. Lelos humiliated Switzerland last weekend posting triple digits while nilling them and before Wales’ defeat to Italy, they comfortably swept the Netherlands aside.
They look clear favourites to win the Rugby Europe Championship, again, and do so emphatically as they are simply better than the teams that they are being put up against.
Now, we are not saying that they deserve a spot over either Italy, Wales or any of the our four teams but they have more than earned an opportunity and that’s how it could make the Six Nations even better.
Part of what makes the Premier League so magnificent is not just the glory of winning the prestigious tournament but the threat of demise too – dropping to the Championship. Sam Warburton has backed the idea of a relegation match and really, who wouldn’t want it to happen?
One extra fixture at the end of the tournament, a do-or-die match between the Rugby Europe victors versus the Six Nations Wooden Spooners. Warburton reckons it would match the viewership of Wales v England, usually one of the most watched fixtures in the tournament, and it’s hard to argue that it wouldn’t.
