RUGBY:SHANE WILLIAMS is 34 today. He may be the oldest wing in town but he holds the torch for Wales as they grope their way out of the darkness that enveloped them in 2010. If they are to end their record of losing to Italy in Rome during a Six Nations campaign in a World Cup year, Williams will need to be at his most inspired.
His two tries against Scotland at Murrayfield in the last round helped Wales to their first victory in nine Tests and took the Osprey to 55 in internationals, nine behind Australia’s David Campese. His first was a flashback to 2008, grand slam year: he spotted James Hook had a prop in front of him and darted into midfield for the scoring pass he knew would come.
It was Wales at their best, but the need for victory became all-consuming in Scotland and they reverted to a policy of containment. They will need to exploit Williams’s capacity for turning up in unexpected places against an Italy team that struggles in high tempo contests.
“It was not the prettiest of performances in Scotland, but it was a great one because we got the win we needed,” said Williams. “In the past, we have played eye-catching rugby and lost. You can be ugly and win, which is perhaps what we were in Scotland. There is a lot more to come from us and I expect big things from this team. I am very proud of my try record and feel I can catch Campese in the next 12 months.”
Williams may be Wales’s oldest player, but he seems to get younger every year. Wings are emerging, such as the 18-year-old George North, who made a try-scoring return for Scarlets on Thursday, but Wales are nowhere near the point where they can contemplate life without Williams.
While Italy struggled to cope with Chris Ashton’s forays into midfield at Twickenham two weeks ago Wales are focusing on the Azzurri’s opening game, against Ireland in Rome, when they fell to a late Ronan O’Gara drop goal. They had no set-piece foundation against England: only four scrums were completed and their lineout malfunctioned, allowing the home side to dictate the pace.
England are playing as Wales aspire to. The victory over Scotland will repair confidence: it is a question of degree. Italy’s Six Nations successes in Rome have come against Scotland and Wales, when both teams were struggling. They have pushed Ireland and England close, but they have conceded an average of 46 points to France in five matches at the Stadio Flaminio when they have been confronted at forward and run into a spin behind.
Wales need to start strongly, as they did in Scotland. Italy have problems at half-back and will not welcome Jamie Roberts running down their outside-half channel. Roberts has come to personify Wales’s decline, a player operating some way below his optimum.
Wales have the capacity to embarrass the Azzurri and the more Shane Williams touches the ball, the more they will win by.
ITALY: L McLean (Treviso); A Masi (Racing Metro), G Canale (Clermont), A Sgarbi (Treviso), M Bergamasco (Racing Metro); K Burton (Treviso), F Semenzato (Treviso); S Perugini (Aironi), L Ghiraldini (Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester), S Dellape (Racing Metro), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi), A Zanni (Treviso), R Barbieri (Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt). Replacements: C Festuccia (Racing Metro), A Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), V Bernabo (Treviso), M Vosawai (Treviso), P Canavosio (Aironi), L Orquera (Brive), T Benvenuti (Treviso).
WALES: L Byrne (Ospreys); M Stoddart (Scarlets), J Hook (Ospreys), J Roberts (Cardiff), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), M Phillips (Ospreys); P James (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets, capt), C Mitchell (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff), A-W Jones (Ospreys), D Lydiate (Dragons), S Warburton (Cardiff), R Jones (Ospreys). Replacements: R Hibbard (Ospreys), J Yapp (Cardiff), J Thomas (Ospreys), J Turnbull (Scarlets), T Knoyle (Scarlets), R Priestland (Scarlets), L Halfpenny (Cardiff).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (Eng).
Assistant referees: Dave Pearson (Eng) and John Lacey (Ire).
