Gibbs tries to lift the gloom for stop-start Wales

The Six Nations paused for its summer interlude with a match to forget. Wales moved into second place having played two matches more than Ireland, but they are so far behind England as if to be playing another game.

Italy claim to have improved on last year, but they had little to commend them. Denied their expected advantage up front, they resorted to gamesmanship and taking out opponents off the ball, fortunate that the referee Paul Honiss was so concerned with blowing up for minor offences at the breakdown area that he missed numerous acts of foul play, only to sin-bin Christian Stoica and Craig Quinnell in the final 10 minutes when there was nothing to salvage.

The four tries all came from close range: in American football terms, the combined rushing was about five yards. There was only one handling move of any note, and that ended with an unforced error. After the heights at Twickenham the previous day, this confirmed that the Six Nations is more like two nations: England and the poor.

At least Scott Gibbs had something to smile about. The man of the series when the Lions beat South Africa in 1997, the centre's place in the squad for Australia this summer had been regarded as far from guaranteed after his early substitution against France last month.

Gibbs responded with two tries yesterday and he was the only Wales player who looked like making something happen, bouncing off reluctant tacklers and knocking ball-carriers back several yards.

"I did not feel I had anything to prove," said Gibbs. "I suppose much will be made of the fact that I scored two tries, but all I had to do each time was catch the ball and fall over the line. I have been happy with my form all season and as far as Australia goes I will not be judged on today any more than I was on Paris."

Gibbs had been treated the previous day for a back strain, a legacy of the beds in the team hotel that forced the scrumhalf Rob Howley, who would have won his 50th cap, out yesterday morning. His replacement, Bath's Gareth Cooper, marked his debut with a try after only six minutes.

Cooper was felled in the second half by a stray elbow and finished the game in a daze. Mark Taylor had six stitches inserted in a nose wound and Rhys Williams was hit off the ball on at least three occasions.

"I am not commenting about the referee and you can read into that what you will," the Wales coach Graham Henry said, a sentiment echoed by his opposite number Brad Johnstone as the two New Zealanders kept a diplomatic silence over their compatriot.

At the end of Diego Dominguez's final Test, a number of Wales players congratulated Neil Jenkins, who this summer decides whether to retire from international rugby. "Neil will not be retiring," said Henry. "I hope Diego will still be around for next season's championship," said Johnstone. It was hardly a surprise that the coaches were desperate not to lose their principal match-winners and playmakers.

Jenkins goes into hospital this week for knee surgery and the fact he is not waiting until the end of Cardiff's season indicates he is one of the 29 players already identified by Henry and the Lions selectors as certainties for Australia.

The outhalf collected 18 points to take his total this championship to 74, a Wales record, while Dominguez also banked 18 after giving Italy a first-minute lead with the first of his five penalties.

Cooper's try gave Wales an advantage they were not to lose, but they twice built healthy leads only to suffer concentration lapses.

Carlo Checchinato's try four minutes from time gave the hosts hope of a draw, but their indiscipline left them vulnerable to Jenkins's kicking. Italy finished with a whitewash and Johnstone's future will be decided this year after the tour to South America and South Africa.

"A lot has been said about my future, but things are still up in the air," said Johnstone. Like the ball yesterday.

SCORERS: Italy: Try: Checchinato. Penalties: Dominguez 5. Drop goal: Dominguez. Wales: Tries: Gibbs 2, Cooper. Conversions: Jenkins 3. Penalties: Jenkins 4.

ITALY: Stoica; Perziano, Pozzebon (Martin, 80min), Raineri (Pilat, 50), D Dallan; Dominguez, Mazzantini; Lo Cicero (De Carli, 77), Moscardi (capt), Curti (Perugini, 46), Visser, Gritti (Zaffiri, 63), Persico, Bergamasco, Checchinato.

WALES: R Williams; Thomas, Taylor, Gibbs, James; Jenkins, Cooper; Morris, McBryde, Young (capt), Gough (C Quinnell, 50), Moore, Charvis, M Williams, S Quinnell.

Referee: P Honiss (NZ).