Wales v Italy

:00:30. > :00:41.Everybody saying, go, go, go, and he goes!

:00:42. > :00:46.Welcome to the Millennium Stadium, welcome back to the Millennium

:00:47. > :00:50.Stadium if you were watching us on BBC One for England's defeat by

:00:51. > :00:56.Australia. The second part of the double-header is just moments away,

:00:57. > :01:00.it is Wales against Italy, kick-off just a couple of minutes away as the

:01:01. > :01:04.Welsh players go through their final warm-ups in the changing rooms, the

:01:05. > :01:07.bubbly because the England and Australia players are still making

:01:08. > :01:10.their way off the field, both sets of players have done a lap of

:01:11. > :01:16.honour, they are going down the tunnel mouth so the players will be

:01:17. > :01:19.called out shortly and the teams will be in the tunnel. Al Crabtree

:01:20. > :01:28.and Jon Wilkin are in the studio with me. When we spoke about

:01:29. > :01:34.Italy's win over England according to the Australia point of view, this

:01:35. > :01:42.has just made sure that Wales are not going to be too complacent to? I

:01:43. > :01:46.think it was a great performance by Italy last week, many people did not

:01:47. > :01:49.think they had the experience or capability to beat an England side

:01:50. > :01:54.that have been preparing for three years. Italy did that and I think

:01:55. > :02:00.one thing that they did was play with such control and experience,

:02:01. > :02:07.well above the amount of games that they have got in their squad. Wales

:02:08. > :02:16.will be on their toes as a result. I think the lack of a leader or harp

:02:17. > :02:21.back, that would be the big challenge for Wales today. Does that

:02:22. > :02:28.concern you as well from a Wales point of view, a lack of someone to

:02:29. > :02:37.dictate the play? To a certain degree. What I am excited about is

:02:38. > :02:47.the structure, a tactical way of playing. They get to set points on

:02:48. > :02:56.the field. That sort of halfback if you are playing to that system. It

:02:57. > :02:59.will be fascinating to know what the atmosphere will be like. There are

:03:00. > :03:03.slightly more empty seats at the moment, maybe some of the England

:03:04. > :03:10.and Australia fans have left. Whether they stay or not, it felt

:03:11. > :03:19.quite quiet at times. I think there was a good atmosphere at times.

:03:20. > :03:24.Everybody was quite nervous, I think they cannot help but be pleased with

:03:25. > :03:27.the first game. I think a large number of the fans will hang around

:03:28. > :03:32.to watch the second match, and rightly so. The challenge is to turn

:03:33. > :03:37.the game around, keep them interested and see if the pitch can

:03:38. > :03:45.hold up because a lot of guys were slipping in the first game. It is

:03:46. > :03:58.that a greasy surface, it almost swept the pitch. There are probably

:03:59. > :04:09.about 20 grams that at the moment with pitchforks working on the

:04:10. > :04:18.pitch. We heard at half-time the concerns about the players slipping

:04:19. > :04:21.over. It is a bit of a surprise, it is cutting up around the post. You

:04:22. > :04:33.could see some of the Australian players getting the mud brushed off

:04:34. > :04:42.their boots. That is a new level of pampering! It is like a Formula One

:04:43. > :04:45.pit stop, get the boots cleaned! Most of them wear Blades, you can

:04:46. > :04:57.choose stud as well, they will have both options? You would like to

:04:58. > :05:00.think so. They are some of the best bits you can get. But on this

:05:01. > :05:06.surface I don't think it makes too much of a difference. I have been on

:05:07. > :05:13.it before, I have been on my backside. You have got to do the

:05:14. > :05:17.best you can under these conditions. The guys from the southern

:05:18. > :05:22.hemisphere will very rarely play on a surface like this. The English and

:05:23. > :05:26.Welsh guys should be well prepared. But it is a challenge for the guys

:05:27. > :05:30.used to rattling around on the hot bitches in the southern hemisphere

:05:31. > :05:33.to come up to Wales and play on a good northern hemisphere pitch. We

:05:34. > :05:40.will take all the advantages we can get I think. In many ways, is there

:05:41. > :05:43.more on this game then there was on the England Titan Australia game, in

:05:44. > :05:47.the sense that, from the inward group, three teams will qualify so

:05:48. > :05:50.he will definitely have a second chance over the course of the

:05:51. > :05:54.tournament? England might have a harder semifinal draw, if we get

:05:55. > :05:59.ahead of ourselves, but for the teams in group C and Group D, not

:06:00. > :06:02.quite a winner takes all state but if you lose the first game you will

:06:03. > :06:07.be in trouble because only one team gets out of Group C? It feels like

:06:08. > :06:10.there is a lot more pressure on this game and it is something I have been

:06:11. > :06:14.excited about. This group does seem so close it will be interesting to

:06:15. > :06:18.see how the teams go into it. They do look like a really good side,

:06:19. > :06:22.beating England. What can Wales have two of the? It is a really, really

:06:23. > :06:27.big game. It seems a lot more important than the groups,

:06:28. > :06:30.especially the one that England is in. They are coming down the

:06:31. > :06:34.opposite side of the stadium to where the tunnel is here at the

:06:35. > :06:40.Millennium Stadium. England Titan Australia went down that side, Italy

:06:41. > :06:45.and Wales are coming out the other. Do you see this being" macro I think

:06:46. > :06:50.it well, Wales have got this emotional attachment. They are at

:06:51. > :06:55.home. There will be a number of Welsh bands in the stadium and it is

:06:56. > :06:58.a motivating factor. Italy are favourites following the great

:06:59. > :07:04.result against England, likely keep mentioning. The likes of

:07:05. > :07:09.Minichiello, a real legend of world rugby. For Wales, we have got Craig

:07:10. > :07:12.Kopczak, they have Super League experience. I think they are quite

:07:13. > :07:17.evenly matched across-the-board but I would Italy will just edged in

:07:18. > :07:21.with the star quality. The bookies have the Italians as the slight

:07:22. > :07:25.favourites for this second game of the double-header on the BBC this

:07:26. > :07:26.afternoon. It is time for the anthems. Once again, they will be

:07:27. > :07:42.sung by Bryn Davies. # Fratelli d'Italia.

:07:43. > :07:50.# L'Italia s'e desta. # Dell'elmo di Scipio.

:07:51. > :07:59.# S'e cinta la testa. # Dov'e la vittoria?

:08:00. > :08:11.# Le porga la chioma. # Che schiava di Roma.

:08:12. > :08:15.# Iddio la creo. # Fratelli d'Italia.

:08:16. > :08:19.# L'Italia s'e desta. # Dell'elmo di Scipio.

:08:20. > :08:23.# S'e cinta la testa. # Dov'e la vittoria?

:08:24. > :08:28.# Le porga la chioma. # Che schiava di Roma.

:08:29. > :08:32.# Iddio la creo. # Stringiamoci a coorte.

:08:33. > :08:36.# Siam pronti alla morte. # Siam pronti alla morte.

:08:37. > :08:40.# Italia chiamo. # Stringiamoci a coorte.

:08:41. > :08:42.# Siam pronti alla morte. # Siam pronti alla morte.

:08:43. > :09:09.# Italia chiamo #. Si! # Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i

:09:10. > :09:18.mi. # Gwlad beirdd a chantorion,

:09:19. > :09:28.enwogion o fri. # Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra

:09:29. > :09:44.mad. # Dros ryddid gollasant EU gwaed.

:09:45. > :09:59.# Gwlad, gwlad. # Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.

:10:00. > :10:19.# Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau. # O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau #.

:10:20. > :10:32.# Gwlad, gwlad. # Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.

:10:33. > :10:48.# Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau. # O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau #.

:10:49. > :10:52.APPLAUSE Goodness me, they belted that out,

:10:53. > :10:57.didn't they, the Welsh team? Wales against Italy, the second game

:10:58. > :11:01.this afternoon in the 2013 Rugby World Cup, and, as you may have

:11:02. > :11:07.heard earlier, for the final time after 32 years on BBC national

:11:08. > :11:12.television, calling his final live game, it is all about the man on the

:11:13. > :11:17.left, forget the other two. It is Ray French.

:11:18. > :11:26.Thank you, Mark. Italy appearing in their first ever World Cup. The

:11:27. > :11:29.Welsh coast Iestyn Harris includes the Evans twins, Rees and Ben, for

:11:30. > :11:42.the first time together and what an experienced back, as always.

:11:43. > :11:46.The Italy coach makes three changes for the starting line-up last week

:11:47. > :11:57.will watch out for Anthony Minichiello

:11:58. > :12:24.upfront. The captain therefore Wales, Craig

:12:25. > :12:30.Kopczak. My word, he certainly sang the national anthem for you, didn't

:12:31. > :12:34.he? They belted it out, didn't take. I was just commenting on the size of

:12:35. > :12:37.the Welsh boys. They look a bit bigger than the Italians across the

:12:38. > :12:43.whole side, so it will be interesting to see how they go.

:12:44. > :12:45.Ashley Klein, the referee. Rapper read in England and Australia for a

:12:46. > :12:52.time, London based, figured in the last World Cup in 2008 before going

:12:53. > :13:02.back to Australia. One of the leading officials out there. All

:13:03. > :13:05.ready, just waiting for the timekeeper running alongside me to

:13:06. > :13:11.give him the off. And we are off here at the Millennium Stadium.

:13:12. > :13:18.Italy have defeated Wales previously a few years ago. In good form after

:13:19. > :13:23.the warm up game against England. Huge responsibility of the Welsh

:13:24. > :13:27.halfbacks there because I think Wales have a really good bench

:13:28. > :13:30.coming off, they can keep the impact going. There are some big boys

:13:31. > :13:35.coming off the bench, as Jonathan mentioned. We should explain, as

:13:36. > :13:42.well, none of the former Welsh Rugby Union internationals like yourself,

:13:43. > :13:51.but a very seasoned rugby league outfit. They have been growing a

:13:52. > :13:56.team spirit and a culture within the Welsh squad over the years. The

:13:57. > :14:01.organisational skills of the Welsh side will come through today. The

:14:02. > :14:06.rugby league in good health in the valleys here, good amateur leagues,

:14:07. > :14:13.schools, all levels of playing, part-time professional sides in the

:14:14. > :14:17.North Wales club series. But it is the men in blue, the Azzurri, as

:14:18. > :14:30.they are known, giving the ball away.

:14:31. > :14:49.A good, strong burst by Anthony Laffranchi, Sainsbury pass regular

:14:50. > :14:57.prop forward. -- Saints proved possible regular prop forward.

:14:58. > :15:18.Some tough lads in this side! They are not missing it to the, are

:15:19. > :15:25.they? Ben Flower has played really well for Wigan. He will lead from

:15:26. > :15:41.the front. There was a late tackle there, wasn't there? Off the ball.

:15:42. > :15:47.Ryan Ghietti. It is Lloyd White. Smashed off the ball. It was the

:15:48. > :15:58.play previously where he got whacked. There it is. They are

:15:59. > :16:10.trying to outlaw that in the game. Lloyd White, a Widnes player. He

:16:11. > :16:18.plays a lot at hooker. He plays at acting halfback quite a lot. As

:16:19. > :16:24.Brian said, he just needs to guide them around the park little bit. No

:16:25. > :16:38.penalty for that. The referee did not pay much notice to it. Italy in

:16:39. > :16:44.possession. Joel Riethmuller. About nine of these lads play down under.

:16:45. > :16:57.A huge Italian population in Australia. Good movement there. Ten

:16:58. > :17:11.metres from this Welsh line. A good tackle. Five metres now. A good

:17:12. > :17:19.off-load and a good tackle. Good start, Wales. A lot of energy, a lot

:17:20. > :17:24.of enthusiasm. Redshirts turning up to put the fire out and a good

:17:25. > :17:30.defensive start. I think that set of six will do Wales a lot of good.

:17:31. > :17:36.They need a good kick. The first four minutes they have been stuck in

:17:37. > :17:40.their own half. Iestyn Harris extremely interested in the game

:17:41. > :17:49.there. The former Wales rugby league and rugby union player. Neil

:17:50. > :17:55.Budworth, in the acting halfback position. A good off-load. Good

:17:56. > :18:00.defence by the Italians and once again they have not really made

:18:01. > :18:09.yards. The Italians are soaking it all up. Wales are trying to be a

:18:10. > :18:14.little bit expensive to get to the fringes. The game has not changed

:18:15. > :18:17.that much. You have got to establish that dominance around the ruck and

:18:18. > :18:29.make sure you earn the right to play wide. They were up and they were up

:18:30. > :18:36.again there. They put the fire out. It has not changed much in the fact

:18:37. > :18:41.that I thought he was offside. 20 metres from this Welsh line. It is

:18:42. > :18:58.pressure from Italy. Joel Riethmuller again. But a game good

:18:59. > :19:11.tackling. Craig Kopczak has put some big hitting. Joel Riethmuller again.

:19:12. > :19:19.He has decided to go on his own. He had an overlap. They had members on

:19:20. > :19:23.the left. He has gone again. Unbelievable! A couple of poor

:19:24. > :19:43.decisions. Almost six minutes gone. No score

:19:44. > :19:45.yet. A big opportunity missed there because they were so many numbers on

:19:46. > :20:04.the left-hand side. That is good strong driving from Ben

:20:05. > :20:09.Flower. I think the two number eights have decided to have their

:20:10. > :20:22.own personal war here. The bounce is crucial. Can he get to it? It is too

:20:23. > :20:36.far. This game might be decided by the bounce of the ball.

:20:37. > :20:45.A tap on the 20 metre line. Let's see how easily the Italians get out

:20:46. > :20:56.here. They have put in a few big hits on the Welsh boys. James

:20:57. > :21:01.Tedesco helping out there. A lot of talent in this Italian side. A good

:21:02. > :21:16.hit their from Tyson Frizell. A good kick, pushing Wales back. A

:21:17. > :21:35.former Bridgend lad. Good, sensible play here from Wales,

:21:36. > :22:07.putting the ball away. The good fullbacks just have that

:22:08. > :22:14.ability to get there quickly and plug it out of the sky. They are

:22:15. > :22:29.always in the right position at the right time. And that is what

:22:30. > :22:34.happened. Powerful running here, looking for support, it was not

:22:35. > :22:41.there, but it is Italy on the attack again. Ten metres from the line.

:22:42. > :22:48.Here is a chance. Is it down? I think he has got it down. He looks

:22:49. > :23:01.happy enough. The referee says it is a try. And it is Italy in the lead.

:23:02. > :23:10.He is hard to stop from their, Aiden Guerra. Once this break was made, it

:23:11. > :23:17.was a matter of going the right way. They still had members on the right.

:23:18. > :23:23.He gets to dummy half and he finds his team-mate from the Roosters. He

:23:24. > :23:32.scored a try in the Grand Final in Australia as well. That was on the

:23:33. > :23:36.back of two great runs. They were short on the left-hand side earlier

:23:37. > :23:46.in the game and that was a very good finish. Aidan Quiros. One of the

:23:47. > :23:53.Grand Final winners down under with the Sydney Roosters. -- aiding

:23:54. > :24:15.wearer. A very good goalkicker back in the

:24:16. > :24:25.NRL. A big, powerful man. A difficult kick. No wind or rain with

:24:26. > :24:39.the roof at the Millennium Stadium. It is a beauty. Straight between. It

:24:40. > :24:48.never looked like missing. Wales got there in numbers. He is too big and

:24:49. > :24:55.too strong. He has a terrific reputation for goal-kicking and out

:24:56. > :25:01.wide. He did not miss a drop goal against England last week either.

:25:02. > :25:08.They made a good point in the studio. They have got a little bit

:25:09. > :25:18.more star quality. Anthony Laffranchi, aiding wearer -- aiding

:25:19. > :25:36.wearer. Anthony Minichiello. They really are

:25:37. > :25:43.having to contain this side. This acting halfback will be travelling

:25:44. > :25:51.Wales consistently. Dean Parata. Good running. Can he get away?

:25:52. > :26:04.Being held back, is he saying? Good strength. He beats one, beats two.

:26:05. > :26:17.Flopping on, the referee adjudicates. Good running there Rhys

:26:18. > :26:20.Evans. His brother Ben in the pack. I remember them playing as young

:26:21. > :26:32.lads in a Challenge Cup final pre-match.

:26:33. > :26:44.Trying to get this Welsh pack moving forward. Matt Seamark. Rhys Evans

:26:45. > :26:50.again, coming into good effect. Wales need to hold possession. A

:26:51. > :26:57.good ball out to Lloyd White. Trying to cut in. No disrespect to Lloyd

:26:58. > :27:03.White but someone with a bit more pace probably would have taken off.

:27:04. > :27:12.He has given offside. Players clearly stood in front. They were in

:27:13. > :27:21.front of Matt Seamark. That was a poor finish to the set. A little bit

:27:22. > :27:25.of rustiness from the Welsh. You should never be pulled up for

:27:26. > :27:38.something like that when you are in possession. Wales having to defend

:27:39. > :27:43.against. They have failed to qualify in the 2008 tournament down under

:27:44. > :27:49.but qualified for the semifinals in the two previous world cups and you

:27:50. > :27:58.yourself were in that when, Jonathan, if I remember rightly. But

:27:59. > :28:09.it is all Italy at the moment. That went wrong. That was what we call

:28:10. > :28:15.overplaying there. The player was not there. He made the run out of

:28:16. > :28:23.dummy half and he was trying to expose some space.

:28:24. > :28:53.Good ball. Well taken. Can he get it out? No, he can't. Good tracking of

:28:54. > :28:56.the ball by the winger. Craig Kopczak has had a big start to the

:28:57. > :29:04.game and he is trying to lead by example.

:29:05. > :29:14.That is dangerous. Has he got hold of it? Yes, I think he has scored! I

:29:15. > :29:22.think Evans is in. Terrific following up. A little bit fortunate

:29:23. > :29:27.with the kick. Anthony Minichiello is questioning the referee but he

:29:28. > :29:33.has passed it upstairs to the referee looking after the video. Is

:29:34. > :29:45.this a try? I think it is. They are looking for offside. He is onside.

:29:46. > :29:59.He is not interfering with the ball in any way. That is a try. Good

:30:00. > :30:06.following up for a second row. Anthony Minichiello, it beats him.

:30:07. > :30:10.The hands are going down. That is four points. Downward pressure. Even

:30:11. > :30:22.if there are two hands on the ball, that is a try. He does well to get

:30:23. > :30:29.underneath him. That is a try, he has got control on that. If you run

:30:30. > :30:36.that at normal speed, what do you think? That is a try. Even at slow

:30:37. > :30:42.speed, it is a try. It is a try. The referees are often too fussy. There

:30:43. > :30:46.it is. Wales, then, back in business. Thanks to that man, number

:30:47. > :31:03.11, Ben Evans. It was a great kick. Add a great

:31:04. > :31:15.kick that deflected it. How good is that? He is happy with it, anyway.

:31:16. > :31:17.That should settle the Welsh nerves. They are in the game, they have both

:31:18. > :31:35.had a shot at each other. It was a good one, two points. Wales

:31:36. > :32:01.six, Italy six, all square. Damien down there. On the touchline

:32:02. > :32:08.we have got caseload, who is suspended for Italy. It is a good

:32:09. > :32:13.start. Italian league is on a high at the moment. After the win against

:32:14. > :32:32.England last week, we are pretty confident. Thanks a lot. Wales now

:32:33. > :32:41.looking a little bit more lively. Bloodworth, originally born in

:32:42. > :32:50.Wigan, currently plays in Australia. -- Neil Budworth. They are putting

:32:51. > :33:00.pressure on Minichiello, aren't they? Yes, they are.

:33:01. > :33:13.A good tackle, he was well met there. Ian Webster coming straight

:33:14. > :33:16.in. I read an article, Iestyn Harris was thrilled to get Tyson Frizell in

:33:17. > :33:23.his team. Some impressive shots from him already. The lad is so keen to

:33:24. > :33:40.play, he paid his own way over 12 months ago.

:33:41. > :33:47.Both teams are really getting into it over, aren't they? I think there

:33:48. > :33:52.will be some tired man in the last ten or 15 minutes, that is when we

:33:53. > :33:55.will see point being given away. Both sides are finding it difficult

:33:56. > :33:58.to get to their own half, that is a problem. Elliot Kear attempting to

:33:59. > :34:21.take a break -- to make a break. Most of Wales group of possession

:34:22. > :34:34.has been in their own half, hasn't it? Just look at that support. Five

:34:35. > :34:38.Wales defenders making the chase. We are into that period of the game

:34:39. > :34:43.where we are expecting something to go right or wrong either way, an arm

:34:44. > :34:53.wrestle the game. It gone back. Oh, he has stolen it!

:34:54. > :35:01.Has Elliot Kear scored? I am not sure, because when he stole the

:35:02. > :35:18.ball. . We will have to wait and see. -- when he stole the ball, he

:35:19. > :35:21.stop. Let's have a look, there is the number 12 with the ball. I think

:35:22. > :35:29.the ball has left him before the other Wales forward, which is

:35:30. > :35:41.Flower... Let's see where the ball is . The Italian player had his hand

:35:42. > :35:48.on the second Welsh to vendor. I think he has taken it. -- the second

:35:49. > :36:00.Welsh defender. I think it is a try. I will be very surprised. Do you

:36:01. > :36:08.think no try? That's what I think. I thought he just had it. Well, no

:36:09. > :36:13.try. Elliot Kear grimaces, but that is tight. Just a little technical

:36:14. > :36:20.thing but he was in touch with two Welsh players. In the real speed,

:36:21. > :36:24.you think, that is great play, take it every day of the week. You might

:36:25. > :36:28.get a tribe that, technically, probably the right call. I think it

:36:29. > :36:35.is the right call. I disagree. I know, you told me! Let explain that

:36:36. > :36:39.you can only steal the ball when it is one-on-one. If it is one on two,

:36:40. > :36:41.three, four, it is a penalty, and that is what they have got. The

:36:42. > :36:54.Blues, then, in control. That was rather silly. Two penalties

:36:55. > :36:59.now. Too much pressure, really, Ray. The Welsh have been doing

:37:00. > :37:04.really, really well, the arm wrestle. And now two penalties.

:37:05. > :37:14.Wales will have to defend their own line. Gil Dudson coming on, I am

:37:15. > :37:22.sure he will make a big impact for Wales.

:37:23. > :37:35.Italy on the attack ten metres from the try-line.

:37:36. > :37:44.Has he got that down? I don't think so. I think we will go to the video

:37:45. > :37:50.referee again. I will not argue this time, Brian! I didn't see that as

:37:51. > :37:56.well, but it is such a dangerous run. He has got great technique. We

:37:57. > :38:00.will see the video referee's adjudication here. That did look a

:38:01. > :38:13.little forward. REFEREE: Can we get another shot of

:38:14. > :38:24.the other end? REFEREE: The ball is still there.

:38:25. > :39:00.Are there any other angles? REFEREE: There is the ball, that is

:39:01. > :39:06.a try. Yes, that is a try. Aiden Guerra waiting for the

:39:07. > :39:15.decision. He is confident it is going to be a try. It is a try. So,

:39:16. > :39:23.Gera, the Sydney Roosters centre, gets his second try. He certainly

:39:24. > :39:31.knows how to finish. Again, the left-hand side, twists and turns his

:39:32. > :39:35.body. However he manages to get it down, the adjudicator saw he got the

:39:36. > :39:39.ball down. He is clearly a threat that Wales need to talk about in

:39:40. > :39:42.relation to his running style. I am not sure there wasn't a Welsh hand

:39:43. > :39:47.underneath that. But whatever level you play at, two penalties, of field

:39:48. > :39:52.position, it brings so much nervousness to your defence. It put

:39:53. > :39:58.you in a difficult position in your own 20 metre area. It is the

:39:59. > :40:07.combination of Minichiello out to go wherever, and he is to powerful. --

:40:08. > :40:14.out to Aiden Guerra. This is his first conversion.

:40:15. > :40:21.Another good, powerful strike. That is the way, straight between the

:40:22. > :40:27.posts, height and accurate. Another two pointer. Italy are in the lead.

:40:28. > :40:42.We thought it would be close. Just watch. Minichiello, one-on-one will

:40:43. > :40:49.. All of his momentum is going forward, he can concentrate on

:40:50. > :40:50.putting the ball down. A good, long kick trying to put a bit of pressure

:40:51. > :41:17.on the Italians straightaway. He has had some good sniping runs.

:41:18. > :41:21.Italy will not mess around in this part of the field. They will get a

:41:22. > :41:28.position where they can kick the which is safe, simple football. I

:41:29. > :41:29.think all said they might think they have got the speed on the Welsh

:41:30. > :41:47.boys. Good kicking position. Robbie Hunter is down there.

:41:48. > :41:52.Something to tell us? I am sitting amongst both of the teams' reserves.

:41:53. > :41:56.The energy from the Welsh camp has lifted. The Italians just scored but

:41:57. > :42:03.the energy, they started off the game a bit shell-shocked, the Welsh

:42:04. > :42:06.players, with the outcome against England but as they got into the

:42:07. > :42:09.game they realised they have a good chance in this game, the players

:42:10. > :42:13.started getting off the bench, started running about and the energy

:42:14. > :42:17.of the team is lifting at this point in time. They have a lot of

:42:18. > :42:23.experienced on the bench, as well. Wales, then, looking for points.

:42:24. > :42:34.They trailed 12 points to fix. -- they trail 12 points to sit.

:42:35. > :42:42.The problem for Wales, lads, they cannot get out of their own half,

:42:43. > :42:46.they cannot sustain 12, 13 tackles. I just feel they shouldn't try to

:42:47. > :42:51.find a way to get out of the hole like this because it sometimes leads

:42:52. > :42:54.to errors. You put yourself under too much pressure. As the Italians

:42:55. > :43:03.are doing, they are prepared to rock out, dummy half runs, kick the ball.

:43:04. > :43:12.That is what they are to, you. -- what they are doing. Picked up by

:43:13. > :43:24.Mantellato but well met by Frizell, the number 12.

:43:25. > :43:34.James Tedesco, number three, grappling away. Mark Minichiello,

:43:35. > :43:42.the younger brother of Anthony, plays for the Gold Coast. Get into

:43:43. > :43:50.field position and kick. A simple game, isn't it?

:43:51. > :43:54.A lot of defence being done by Wales, this could tell in the second

:43:55. > :44:00.half. That was well taken, it was a good

:44:01. > :44:20.defensive set by Wales. Italy moving in very quick off the

:44:21. > :44:23.defensive line. I think it is a feature of what they did,

:44:24. > :44:28.particularly last week when I watch them. They were prepared to back

:44:29. > :44:31.themselves defensively, move forward when they could, and when they had

:44:32. > :44:38.opportunities they took them. As we have seen today, they had two

:44:39. > :44:44.opportunities and took them both. A long kick downfield but a man in the

:44:45. > :44:52.position at the right time. Minichiello brings it away. His

:44:53. > :45:00.survival technique over the years, lifting his forearm, that is years

:45:01. > :45:09.of playing at the highest level. He knows how to protect himself. I

:45:10. > :45:22.think that was one-on-one, wasn't it? That is definitely one-on-one.

:45:23. > :45:25.It is offside. It has gone forward. I can't think of any other penalty.

:45:26. > :45:36.I think it is a poor decision. Whatever it is for, it is a penalty

:45:37. > :45:55.to Italy. The Italian coach had some

:45:56. > :46:11.experience with Salford before moving across to Australia. Good

:46:12. > :46:16.short passing from Raymond Nasso. Good movement from Italy. They are

:46:17. > :46:25.moving this ball out. A lot of pressure on this Welsh line. Offside

:46:26. > :46:37.again. No, a high tackle this time. They are going to go for goal here.

:46:38. > :46:44.He is going for goal here. I think it was before that. If that is a

:46:45. > :46:54.high tackle, it is very harsh, because he slid upwards. I think it

:46:55. > :46:58.is a late tackle. I must confess, Italy are taking this goal, it just

:46:59. > :47:04.pushes them out, Wales have got to score twice. England, in that game

:47:05. > :47:09.this afternoon, they did not take penalty goals. I think there is a

:47:10. > :47:18.lack of taking penalty goals amongst the modern players. Well, not now.

:47:19. > :47:25.They are taking your advice. You don't see it. Just to put a

:47:26. > :47:29.perspective on that, this player does not miss many cakes. The

:47:30. > :47:38.balance of the game and England particularly did not. I think there

:47:39. > :47:44.were errors in the middle of the field which cost England in the

:47:45. > :47:50.end. It is whether you think the opposition are crumbling and

:47:51. > :47:55.cracking defensively. I just think mentally, if you keep popping two

:47:56. > :48:01.points over, mentally it gets to the opposition because suddenly you are

:48:02. > :48:06.pulling away. Most of the time these days, they think they have got the

:48:07. > :48:14.momentum. Italy again looking very confident.

:48:15. > :48:22.The coach has really put a draft of Interchange players on. There is

:48:23. > :48:28.another one. They just look a little bit sharper. They are quicker at the

:48:29. > :48:33.play of the ball and then they go to their go to players and that is the

:48:34. > :48:40.difference at the moment. There is no real command for Wales at

:48:41. > :48:46.halfback at the moment. The point Jonathan makes is simple. When they

:48:47. > :48:52.are in a good position, they will go to Anthony Minichiello or Aiden

:48:53. > :48:57.Guerra and that will give you quite a lot of strike opportunity. I don't

:48:58. > :49:00.think we have seen quite what the Wales strategy is in attack yet

:49:01. > :49:07.because they have not had any ball up there. Rhys Williams and Elliot

:49:08. > :49:15.Kear for Wales won ball. They can score tries.

:49:16. > :49:27.A quick play of the ball they needed.

:49:28. > :49:45.Peter Lupton, the player coach. He is up at Workington now. The players

:49:46. > :49:48.taking a breather. I think it is really important here that they take

:49:49. > :49:54.their arrest on the way to the scrum but this is a very important

:49:55. > :49:57.defensive set. They need to restrict the territory of the Italians and

:49:58. > :50:17.try and get their next set of ball in good field position.

:50:18. > :50:37.Sam Gardel. Good tackle. They lost the ball. A double hit. Gil Dudson

:50:38. > :50:42.was in there. This is an opportunity. I don't think they have

:50:43. > :50:50.had the ball near the halfway line at the start of a set. This is a

:50:51. > :50:54.chance. It is nice to see that a lot of the crowd have stayed as well

:50:55. > :51:01.because there is a clear difference in class between England and

:51:02. > :51:09.Australia and these two. Ashley Klein not very happy there. He wants

:51:10. > :51:18.everybody bounding. He is a referee, they are never happy. I have never

:51:19. > :51:23.seen one smile. You can talk to them on the pitch and cajole with them. I

:51:24. > :51:36.have only done that once and I got sent off. You could talk to the

:51:37. > :51:53.REFEREE: Eight. Anyway -- you could talk to the referee in my day. That

:51:54. > :51:57.was good to see from Wales. Good acceleration. I thought he was

:51:58. > :52:07.through there. He is coming through well from fullback. But it was that

:52:08. > :52:11.man again, Aiden Guerra. It is going to take a good play to catch that

:52:12. > :52:19.left-hand side out of Italy. Rhys Evans. On the ten metre line now.

:52:20. > :52:26.Can Wales get more points on the board? The chance out wide year. Ian

:52:27. > :52:35.Webster. Five metres out now. We are on the last tackle. The kick. Who

:52:36. > :52:47.has got it? Should that be another set of six? It went backwards. Wales

:52:48. > :52:51.have got to keep them down here. That is the key. Keep the pressure

:52:52. > :52:57.on. They will crack next time I am sure of that if Wales can get some

:52:58. > :53:03.more decent field position. I am not so sure about that. I think they

:53:04. > :53:12.have got to attack the right-hand side of the Italians because Aiden

:53:13. > :53:17.Guerra it's such a good defender. A good tackle there from

:53:18. > :53:20.Huddersfield's Larne Patrick. Italy forced to take under pressure.

:53:21. > :53:31.Williams has got to bring this ball as far as he can. Ian Webster. I

:53:32. > :53:36.think Wales have picked the pace and a little bit. They were a little bit

:53:37. > :53:41.lethargic at the start. This is another opportunity. They need

:53:42. > :53:56.another good click now to the corner. That is a very good one.

:53:57. > :54:05.Five minutes remaining in this first half. Wales trailing by eight

:54:06. > :54:12.points. Can they grab six here? On the 20 metre line. Here is a chance.

:54:13. > :54:23.Driving for the line. A livery ball by Matt Seamark. -- lovely. Jordan

:54:24. > :54:36.James has signed for Gloucestershire. Peter Lupton. Can

:54:37. > :54:45.he twist? Good defence! They have got numbers on the left-hand side.

:54:46. > :54:53.The kick was never on, was it? I thought he was offside.

:54:54. > :55:00.Let's have a look. He has got to be offside. Ashley Klein has made a few

:55:01. > :55:16.odd decisions so far. Craig Kopczak coming back on, the

:55:17. > :55:25.Wales skipper. It is a vital period for Wales. Can they get some points?

:55:26. > :55:28.They are way of side there. There is a big opportunity for Rhys Williams

:55:29. > :55:47.if he traps that ball to keep Italy on the halfway line.

:55:48. > :55:51.Italy determined to keep Wales in this half. They want to play at to

:55:52. > :56:04.the whistle for half-time here. They have got to keep it moving.

:56:05. > :56:13.They have gotten overlap here. Can he get the ball away? Yes he can.

:56:14. > :56:19.That is a good try. He puts his arm in the air. The young lad from Wigan

:56:20. > :56:30.is in for the try. Wales head back right on time before half-time. Just

:56:31. > :56:36.before half-time is the time to score. A terrific try. We said how

:56:37. > :56:43.strong the left-hand side defence was. The acceleration gets outside

:56:44. > :56:52.Aiden Guerra and then the off-load. A great try. That is a great try

:56:53. > :57:06.from Wales. Rhys Evans is the key. He takes Aiden Guerra on the outside

:57:07. > :57:15.and forces him to make the play. The Italian winger, he came in and had

:57:16. > :57:20.to make the tackle but failed. Just 20 years of age, the youngest player

:57:21. > :57:26.at 17 ever to play for Wales when they last played against Italy in

:57:27. > :57:37.2010 and that has made Iestyn Harris a little bit more comfortable.

:57:38. > :57:46.Can Lloyd White increase the confidence little bit more? It is

:57:47. > :57:53.looking good. He has got it. Wales score six points at the right time.

:57:54. > :58:01.They are back in this game. I think the bench for Wales has made a huge

:58:02. > :58:06.impact. Jacob Emmitt and Gil Dudson. Rhys Evans injects pace and

:58:07. > :58:10.strength and gets between two defenders. Good footwork from Elliot

:58:11. > :58:17.Kear and he has timed his pass to perfection. Just reinforcing that,

:58:18. > :58:24.the bench, Jacob Emmitt and Gil Dudson, have made a big difference

:58:25. > :58:32.to the Welsh team. That man is causing a lot of trouble. Rhys

:58:33. > :58:39.Evans. The seconds ticking down. 40 seconds remaining. Surely Wales just

:58:40. > :58:50.want to hold onto the ball they will settle for 14-12. Jacob Emmitt

:58:51. > :58:56.taking it forward. Good running. As you said, the interchanges among the

:58:57. > :59:01.forwards have made a big difference. It has allowed them to play a little

:59:02. > :59:04.bit more and then go to the edges. Gil Dudson and Jacob Emmitt have got

:59:05. > :59:09.them forward and giving the dummy half the ability to play a little

:59:10. > :59:17.bit. A little bit more free-flowing football from the Welsh. There is

:59:18. > :59:29.the half-time hooter. A terrific start by the Italians, leading 14-6,

:59:30. > :59:35.but a terrific comeback. 14-12 to Italy and everything to play for in

:59:36. > :59:39.the final 40 minutes. A terrific effort from Wales. They looked out

:59:40. > :59:46.on their feet at one stage. The danger man on the left-hand side,

:59:47. > :59:50.Aiden Guerra, with two tries. But Wales have had good field position

:59:51. > :59:57.and they have forced their way back into the game. It is anyone's game.

:59:58. > :00:01.It was nip and tuck when they beat Wales in Wrexham in 2010. I don't

:00:02. > :00:05.think there is going to be many points difference in this game. Two

:00:06. > :00:08.points is probably a fair reflection of the half. Wales finished the half

:00:09. > :00:23.stronger. Minichiello, Italian fullback, how

:00:24. > :00:29.is it looking from the back of the field? We started well, lost the

:00:30. > :00:32.rock at the back of the first half. We will regroup and freshen up and

:00:33. > :00:47.hopefully put in a good second half. Craig Kopczak, the Wales captain.

:00:48. > :00:52.Have imported you think that tribal because macro it was important to

:00:53. > :00:56.get the point at the end there. Hopefully we can turn it around in

:00:57. > :01:01.the second half. It is a bruising encounter. Will fit this count in

:01:02. > :01:05.the end? Maybe you. -- will fitness count.

:01:06. > :01:14.A tight first half brought to the end. Italy two points clear of

:01:15. > :01:18.Wales. It is balanced in the scoreline and in the stats as well.

:01:19. > :01:26.Not much difference between possession and territory.

:01:27. > :01:34.We heard from Craig Kopczak therewith Damian Johnson. He started

:01:35. > :01:38.liking meant business. We talked about leadership in the sense of

:01:39. > :01:42.dictating the play but he is going to lead with passion and power,

:01:43. > :01:46.isn't it? Yes, he certainly well, and he did straightaway, he got

:01:47. > :01:51.involved. Eltingh out the national anthem, that is the sort of blokey

:01:52. > :01:55.is. He is the captain of the Welsh side, and he is very passionate

:01:56. > :02:00.about it as well. Instantly, from the get go, he ripped in as hard as

:02:01. > :02:05.he could, and that is the sort of player that he is. That is what it

:02:06. > :02:08.is about, leading the team some getting them forward. He showed a

:02:09. > :02:13.real willingness to get off the line and put pressure on the Italians.

:02:14. > :02:20.Here we have a break from Ford, a controlled rock by the Welsh

:02:21. > :02:24.defenders. Attracts the Square mile. Kopczak with the aggression, coming

:02:25. > :02:26.off his line to make a shoulder tackle but this time does not come

:02:27. > :02:37.up so good. A great rate from Ford. The Welsh defence is in tatters,

:02:38. > :02:45.almost, Neil Budworth slow to get back as a result of the break. Rhys

:02:46. > :02:49.Evans, the fullback, is stuck on the line because he is waiting for a

:02:50. > :02:54.kick behind. As a result, Aiden Guerra one-on-one with Rhodri Lloyd.

:02:55. > :03:02.I thought it was a real difference, it real quality play. Here we see

:03:03. > :03:06.the double from the literal, a strong run and a twist to get the

:03:07. > :03:09.ball down, great play from Italy. But it started from Kopczak's

:03:10. > :03:16.aggression, maybe getting a slightly wrong, and then a well executed try.

:03:17. > :03:20.Wales hit back through the Ben Evans try. They never allowed Italy to get

:03:21. > :03:26.too far ahead. Not really. It has been a close contest. We were

:03:27. > :03:35.talking about Wales struggling to get out of their first half. This

:03:36. > :03:45.was a lovely kick, he put his body on the line and it was a great

:03:46. > :03:48.finish as well. Brian Noble said in commentary it could come down to the

:03:49. > :03:51.bounce of the ball. There were several different bounces in the

:03:52. > :03:55.course of that. It was a strong effort from Athens to get to the

:03:56. > :04:02.ball first. Miniature Load has made a career out of thinking about those

:04:03. > :04:07.balls -- Minichiello has made a career. After that they became more

:04:08. > :04:13.comfortable with being year, bringing in the World Cup will stop

:04:14. > :04:18.certainly Italy then struck back. And they did, and they got the

:04:19. > :04:24.second try from whereat after the Elliot Kear was ruled a no try.

:04:25. > :04:30.These are the fine margins that games are Alan storm. You could be

:04:31. > :04:36.down one end of the field where the ball is stolen in a two-man tackle,

:04:37. > :04:41.and I agree it was, but Elliot Kear thinks he is going to go away and

:04:42. > :04:45.score a try. We are talking just a minute later, two minutes later,

:04:46. > :04:49.Italy are at the other end of the field and instead of it being an

:04:50. > :04:53.even ball game, Italy are way out in front. But it certainly was a two

:04:54. > :05:01.man steel and the right decision with no try. But this is Aiden

:05:02. > :05:07.Guerra's second try. He is a strong guy, in front of Lloyd White, it was

:05:08. > :05:11.too much for him to handle. Minichiello rubbing that really

:05:12. > :05:15.shallow line which makes it hard to read, then one-on-one with Lloyd

:05:16. > :05:20.White. That Miss match their resulted in Aiden Guerra again being

:05:21. > :05:24.able to spend, get those strong artistry and get the ball down. A

:05:25. > :05:29.great try. This is the man who scored in the NRL Grand Final, an

:05:30. > :05:33.expert finisher. It was a great finish as well. He uses his

:05:34. > :05:37.strengths to the best of his ability. That is what you do as a

:05:38. > :05:40.team, isolate big people against smaller people, against the poorer

:05:41. > :05:47.defenders, that is what we call spot playing. Rhys Evans has caused some

:05:48. > :05:51.prop runs for the Italians. Elliot Kear as well. The combination of the

:05:52. > :05:54.two and then Rhodri Lloyd has given Wales a platform for the second

:05:55. > :06:00.half. They have been really energetic. You can see here

:06:01. > :06:13.Evansville bass line, a quick speed, off-loads to Elliot Kear. -- you can

:06:14. > :06:18.see Evans' line. That was a similar shape to what we can throw at teams.

:06:19. > :06:24.Evans' speed allows him to get on the outside. Did not come up so

:06:25. > :06:28.great there, but a well executed try, difficult to execute that try.

:06:29. > :06:35.Not the best diving the world, though. Basically trying to get the

:06:36. > :06:40.ball to Williams in a bit of space. If he can use that speed in that

:06:41. > :06:44.space then he causes havoc and that is what happens, people bounce off

:06:45. > :06:51.in tackles and there you go. That is a terrible dive. Well, maybe, when

:06:52. > :06:55.we have our highlight show, we can organise a dive off between you two

:06:56. > :06:58.and Rhodri Lloyd and see who has got the better dive. There is Iestyn

:06:59. > :07:04.Harris talking to the Welsh players. We heard, talking during commentary

:07:05. > :07:09.about Wales at times struggling to get out of their own half, your

:07:10. > :07:12.theory behind that which is that rather than criticising Wales we

:07:13. > :07:17.have to give the Italians credit for their speed. Football teams start

:07:18. > :07:21.with an intensity and a willingness to get into each other, and it was

:07:22. > :07:25.probably lacking in the first few minutes of the England - Australia

:07:26. > :07:36.game. These two teams, in particular Frankie, he led the Italian forwards

:07:37. > :07:39.-- Anthony Laffranchi in particular. Wales really struggled to get out of

:07:40. > :07:44.their half. OK, the second half is on the way. John mentioned the game

:07:45. > :07:48.between Australia and England, the Aussies won by 28 points to 20.

:07:49. > :07:52.Let's hear from some of the people involved.

:07:53. > :07:57.Congratulations, man of the match. How did you assess the performance

:07:58. > :08:00.Abed? A bit rusty to start with. A few dropped balls in the first half

:08:01. > :08:04.which put us under the pomp and England got a couple of tries. Full

:08:05. > :08:08.credit to the boys. We stuck to our game plan. They'd reasonably well

:08:09. > :08:14.throughout that game. The way we started was great. We lost our way

:08:15. > :08:17.in the first half, we stopped playing a bit, which was

:08:18. > :08:27.disappointing. We needed to find some energy. Too many penalties

:08:28. > :08:31.given away today. It is hard when you have such a classy outfit as

:08:32. > :08:35.England, but I think a World Cup is one of those things we have got to

:08:36. > :08:42.get right and work harder to get quicker, too. The start of the week

:08:43. > :08:48.was challenging. Like I said, we have got a fantastic group and the

:08:49. > :08:53.players, the staff, are completely united and we wanted to go out and

:08:54. > :08:56.respond and do our very best. We started off great, but

:08:57. > :08:59.unfortunately, like that, it is a simple game, rugby league, and if

:09:00. > :09:07.you give penalties await the opposition will hurt you. I think

:09:08. > :09:11.people will be sat at home thinking, England have lost the opportunity

:09:12. > :09:16.for an easy route to the final. I don't think there is ever an easy

:09:17. > :09:21.route in this competition. But hopefully we can pick up some moment

:09:22. > :09:26.now and hopefully get another shot at Australia. How desperate are you

:09:27. > :09:30.to win the World Cup and get it back off the New Zealanders? Oh, look, it

:09:31. > :09:33.would be nice to win the whole tournament but we were just

:09:34. > :09:37.desperate to win today and we got the result that we wanted. We will

:09:38. > :09:40.be very pleased but we know it will be another tough game next week

:09:41. > :09:44.against Fiji. You play against Australian players week in, week

:09:45. > :09:48.out. You have got to find the intensity for the full 80 minutes,

:09:49. > :09:52.have undue? Yes, we went through a period at the end of the first half,

:09:53. > :10:01.made a few errors. It took a lot of juice out of our tank. We have been

:10:02. > :10:06.working on that. We are very disappointed as a group, we could

:10:07. > :10:11.have done better. The way we started is what we are all about, trying to

:10:12. > :10:15.keep that going for the full game. For the family, all three of you

:10:16. > :10:18.playing, another special moment. It was, lining up for the national

:10:19. > :10:25.anthem was a great moment, one to remember.

:10:26. > :10:30.We will show you highlight of the England - Australia game at the

:10:31. > :10:34.full-time of Wales against Italy. Let's get the thoughts of Jonathan

:10:35. > :10:37.Davies in the commentary box. We heard Kevin Sinfield talk about the

:10:38. > :10:42.number of penalties England gave away, 20 in total in the game,

:10:43. > :10:51.England committed 12 of them. Was that their downfall in the end? I

:10:52. > :10:57.think so. Handing errors and penalties at the end of the first

:10:58. > :11:02.half, in the second half, they have no juice left in the tank. It is so

:11:03. > :11:08.crucial, losing concentration when you think you are away from your

:11:09. > :11:11.try-line, and if you give a penalty, end can, you give them a

:11:12. > :11:16.good chance. It was a good performance from England, a little

:11:17. > :11:19.bit of tinkering will set them up for the rest of the competition.

:11:20. > :11:25.They have got tough games, Ireland, Fiji, and, if it all goes to plan,

:11:26. > :11:28.New Zealand in the semifinal. They might well have another crack at the

:11:29. > :11:32.Australian and I think they would be better the second time around. Are

:11:33. > :11:36.we saying, given the weak that they have had, that was the performance

:11:37. > :11:40.they needed, if not the result? I think so. When you are on the park,

:11:41. > :11:43.it doesn't matter what is going on, that is where the park, it doesn't

:11:44. > :11:45.matter what is going on, that is whether players are comfortable.

:11:46. > :11:51.Last week's performance against the Italians was very poor. They rose to

:11:52. > :11:55.the challenge today and just came up short. We will be back with you

:11:56. > :11:59.shortly. What will Wales have to do to win this? Gamely to control the

:12:00. > :12:03.rock a little bit more. They have got great speed, but they need to

:12:04. > :12:06.start slumming it down, take control of the game and keep doing what they

:12:07. > :12:11.are doing well, get the ball out in space and cause a bit of damage. You

:12:12. > :12:19.are in a World Cup, in front of your home crowd. I am assuming sometimes

:12:20. > :12:21.slumming it down is one of the hardest things to do? Sometimes when

:12:22. > :12:24.you want to play quick and attack you have to play quick in defence,

:12:25. > :12:28.it is counter-productive. They need to control Italy around the rock.

:12:29. > :12:32.Slow the game down to a pace they can manage with their defence. Off

:12:33. > :12:35.the back of that, get good field position because they have showed

:12:36. > :12:40.that when they are in good position they are dangerous. We are here

:12:41. > :12:49.until 7pm, plenty of opportunity for you to get your views in.

:12:50. > :12:54.You can use Twitter or Instagram. Basically trawl the social media,

:12:55. > :12:58.you will find somewhere! Let's return to Brian and Jonathan. And

:12:59. > :13:08.Ray. Thank you very much. Iestyn Harris

:13:09. > :13:12.there, and experienced player in league and union. He will be happy

:13:13. > :13:20.with the revival in spirit in the last ten minutes. What more will be

:13:21. > :13:29.needed in the last half? The last three defensive sets, they kept

:13:30. > :13:42.Italy in position which allowed them a bit more freedom so a little bit

:13:43. > :13:49.more rock macro speed. They will be looking for something similar. Can I

:13:50. > :13:53.just say before we start, it is nice to see Billy Boston sat in the

:13:54. > :13:57.stands. He has not been too well of late, but one of my good old

:13:58. > :14:03.friends, one of the all-time greats of rugby league. One of the great

:14:04. > :14:06.players for Wales. There is the first error that the Welsh wanted. A

:14:07. > :14:14.little bit of line speed and pressure. There he is, my shoulders

:14:15. > :14:23.still ache in the morning from trying to tackle him. You should

:14:24. > :14:29.have taken a few mates with you! I did, didn't make any difference!

:14:30. > :14:45.Anyway, here are Wales, trailing by two points.

:14:46. > :14:52.There is always something on hand when this boy has the ball, Rhys

:14:53. > :14:59.Evans. Strong and quick, that is a threat. Wales continuing in the

:15:00. > :15:06.spirit they showed in the last ten minutes of the first half, attacking

:15:07. > :15:13.well. Ian Webster trying to force his way down, but Tedesco was there.

:15:14. > :15:39.Ten metres from the line. I think Elliot Kear has got the ball

:15:40. > :15:47.down. The referee is happy enough, the fans are and so is the Welsh

:15:48. > :15:59.side. That is a great take. You did not think he was going to come off

:16:00. > :16:09.best out of the jump. I think he outjumped Chris Centrone. I think

:16:10. > :16:21.the Italian bloke gets to it but Elliot Kear is more determined. That

:16:22. > :16:28.is just a great leap. But also it was a good kick. I thought it was a

:16:29. > :16:33.bit flat at the start but a perfect trajectory and the jump was amazing.

:16:34. > :16:48.Wales have a 16-14 lead. I think this is all about field

:16:49. > :16:53.position, this game. I don't think they have got the quality or the

:16:54. > :17:00.pace to go the whole length. That is when field position is crucial.

:17:01. > :17:05.Lloyd White with the kick. Two very good effort from the other

:17:06. > :17:15.touchline. Can he get this one? Not a breath of wind with the roof shut.

:17:16. > :17:24.Just to the left of the post but Wales lead. You thought that was in,

:17:25. > :17:31.didn't you? I thought it was going to kill him. That is a great catch.

:17:32. > :17:38.Italy might be believing their own hype after last week. Sometimes it

:17:39. > :17:41.can give you some false confidence. I think it certainly focused the

:17:42. > :17:53.minds of England today and now Wales. And we can hear what has been

:17:54. > :17:57.going on at half-time. The Italy coach said, be patient, keep

:17:58. > :18:01.possession and work for each other. Iestyn Harris wants them to sort the

:18:02. > :18:07.completion is out and look after the ball. One of the Welsh players said,

:18:08. > :18:18.bash them up for ten minutes and we can have these. A bit of technical

:18:19. > :18:26.jargon! A little bit of hesitation there but he has managed to get away

:18:27. > :18:31.with it. Still in possession. This is better from the Welsh camp. And

:18:32. > :18:39.the kick putting pressure on that corner.

:18:40. > :18:42.Certainly a lively set of Dragons now. The forwards moving very

:18:43. > :18:55.quickly. There is a lot of Super League

:18:56. > :19:00.experience in this Welsh pack. They really should be up for it. The

:19:01. > :19:06.bench that came off all pretty much play Super League. Peter Lupton, Gil

:19:07. > :19:18.Dudson. They changed the game when they came on the field. Raymond

:19:19. > :19:32.Nasso trying to... He has given a penalty. Dangerous. That is

:19:33. > :19:38.dangerous. He can't see him coming as well so we cannot get ready for

:19:39. > :19:39.the impact. That is a tough one to take because Wales have defended

:19:40. > :20:14.really well. Raymond Nasso. A good head. Good

:20:15. > :20:25.running out wide. He has got the ball away. Is he in at the corner?

:20:26. > :20:38.Yes, that is a try. That is a try. What a fantastic pass. James

:20:39. > :20:42.Tedesco, was it? It was a beautiful piece of skill. He gets on the

:20:43. > :20:48.outside, draws the winger and get the pass away. Great approach play

:20:49. > :20:55.from the Italians and here is the many ball. The attracts two

:20:56. > :21:00.defenders and flicks the ball out. He definitely gets the ball down.

:21:01. > :21:07.But watch how we attracts first the centre and then the winger as well.

:21:08. > :21:11.Rhys Williams probably did not need to come in. But once he had realised

:21:12. > :21:16.he had come in, that is a fair skill to have. It is a great skill but

:21:17. > :21:25.Rhys Williams maybe should have stayed out. A good game though. A

:21:26. > :21:35.very good game. The lead changing hands again. As Brian said, it is

:21:36. > :21:46.all about field position. Every time they have had field position, the

:21:47. > :21:51.site has scored. Joshua Mantellato. I think Wales need to make a couple

:21:52. > :22:00.of changes now. The bench have been on there for a while. Looking good.

:22:01. > :22:04.It is not. It has peeled away to the left-hand side. He does not like it,

:22:05. > :22:18.does he? 18-16 it remains for Italy but I am

:22:19. > :22:24.sure that Welsh coaching contingent note this game is far from over. I

:22:25. > :22:27.think there are quite a few tries yet to come. A lot of energy being

:22:28. > :22:51.used by the forwards. They do run hard, this Italian pack.

:22:52. > :23:00.They have been trying to identify some ruck speed and playing the ball

:23:01. > :23:02.quickly. Lots of dummy half running. A lot of running from this man

:23:03. > :23:14.Raymond Nasso. He picked that the office boots. A

:23:15. > :23:24.good ball out wide and here it is again. It is a forward pass. That is

:23:25. > :23:30.a big call. I will say this, Ashley Klein was right on the spot. He was

:23:31. > :23:45.in a great position, wasn't he. It is. I think it is. This is a better

:23:46. > :23:51.angle. Doesn't he patted backwards? His hands are going backwards. His

:23:52. > :23:59.hands might be going backwards but it is with the ball is going. It is

:24:00. > :24:07.not. It is a weird role that one. If the ball is passed backwards.

:24:08. > :24:15.Anyway, it does not matter, it is a forward pass. Stop arguing. Wales

:24:16. > :24:23.trying to get back into this game. A strong run. I think Wales need to

:24:24. > :24:28.play a little bit flat. They have put a lot of ball behind players and

:24:29. > :24:42.it is not fixing any of the Italian defenders.

:24:43. > :24:50.Not the best of kicks. But as long as Wales can keep the pressure on

:24:51. > :24:57.this Italian line, that is what they will be looking for. They have

:24:58. > :25:00.thrown Ben Flower and Tyson Frizell back into the play. He is a strong

:25:01. > :25:11.runner, isn't he? They are not missing each other

:25:12. > :25:21.either. They are physical games we have seen. It is taking a lot of

:25:22. > :25:26.good, solid tackling from the Welsh to keep up this Italian pack. That

:25:27. > :25:38.is a good ball out wide. He flicks it back inside. A good tackle. It

:25:39. > :25:44.was not high. He was going down. This is the last tackle. Can he get

:25:45. > :25:52.out? Yes he does. But he is pushed into touch. I am not sure that is a

:25:53. > :26:00.better result for the Italians. It is, especially with Aiden Guerra in

:26:01. > :26:10.the centre. He just can't get away, can he?

:26:11. > :26:18.A difficult set of six here on the line for Wales. They need a lot of

:26:19. > :26:25.grit and determination from those lads in the pack. This is a big

:26:26. > :26:32.moment in the game. Wales need to stand up and defend their chalk.

:26:33. > :26:38.Eight metres from the Dragons line. That is a good tackle. Great line

:26:39. > :26:52.speed. A good hit as well. Ben Evans,

:26:53. > :27:01.number 11. Three more tackles to hold out. Raymond Nasso again with a

:27:02. > :27:06.strong surge. The big Australian forwards are charging now. He has

:27:07. > :27:15.got to get over that line again. Can he do it? No. It is going to be a

:27:16. > :27:26.dropout. It is good patients from the Italian as well. -- patients.

:27:27. > :27:33.There is a good battle going on at front between these two sides.

:27:34. > :27:42.It is a physical game and you have got to intimidate one side. The pack

:27:43. > :27:48.that is that invariably winds. I think there is a big blow here. Is

:27:49. > :27:51.that Paul Vaughan? He has carried the ball well. He is not looking

:27:52. > :28:08.healthy. It is Paul Vaughan, isn't it? What

:28:09. > :28:13.happened to him? Why was he limping? It is an interchange anyway. I did

:28:14. > :28:42.not get that. Still the series put the pressure

:28:43. > :28:49.on. -- Azzurri. That is a good run. Very powerful from acting halfback.

:28:50. > :28:55.He makes a lot of ground. Desperate defence here from Wales, three

:28:56. > :29:04.metres from the line. What has he done? He has penalised Wales.

:29:05. > :29:11.Another set of six. Is he going to go for goal here? He went for goal

:29:12. > :29:17.the first time. I think if they sense they have got the momentum

:29:18. > :29:23.going. It is the fourth set on the bounce. It is an energy issue. That

:29:24. > :29:33.is a great tackle from Matt Seamark. He had to adjust. He has

:29:34. > :29:42.not played the ball correctly. He thought he was interfering there.

:29:43. > :29:48.Nobody was interfering. That is what Mark Minichiello thought. It is a

:29:49. > :29:51.problem in the modern game. Sometimes they don't touch the ball

:29:52. > :29:59.with their boots and the referee allows it because they made the

:30:00. > :30:01.effort. Wales got off the hook there. It was a scrappy play of the

:30:02. > :30:17.ball. But well done Wales. Wales in possession but trailing 18

:30:18. > :30:22.points to 16. They have got to get away from this area, but Italy

:30:23. > :30:25.coming in very quickly off the line. He never played the ball with his

:30:26. > :30:30.foot then, just through it behind him. At that is allowed. You cannot

:30:31. > :30:34.tell me that you always played the ball with your foot. I'm telling

:30:35. > :30:42.you, you had to do or you were penalised. You still should do.

:30:43. > :30:58.Oh, that is a knock-on. It isn't, he hasn't blown his whistle. Centrone

:30:59. > :31:00.making good ground. Minichiello... That is flour, isn't it? A tough

:31:01. > :31:16.boy, Ben Flower. Wales having to get through a lot of

:31:17. > :31:22.work here in the pack around this area. The Italians have had a lot of

:31:23. > :31:47.possession in the second half. A chance now for Wales. All that

:31:48. > :31:51.tackling, Brian, as an ex-forward, you know it will take something out

:31:52. > :31:57.of them, won't it? There is still a threat with the Welsh dummy half,

:31:58. > :32:09.Rhys Williams, Elliot Kear. Every time Rhys Evans inject himself into

:32:10. > :32:11.the lines, he looks dangerous. Frizell has had a very good game.

:32:12. > :32:33.Difficult to pull down. This is Italian pack of unrelenting

:32:34. > :32:51.in defence. Look at the speed from that line.

:32:52. > :32:55.It should be another set of six, I think... To war three metres from

:32:56. > :33:28.the line. Play on, says the referee. Desperate defence here, now, from

:33:29. > :33:32.Italy. Seamark, good ball! Just couldn't get through. Larne Patrick,

:33:33. > :33:45.wasn't it? Is that worth a look at the video

:33:46. > :33:50.referee? The touch judge is very happy with it, so is the referee. I

:33:51. > :34:00.do think is missing the ball out with the initial pass was a mistake

:34:01. > :34:05.there, Brian. Interesting to see this. No, it is play on. His arm is

:34:06. > :34:10.out there. I don't think there is a dither of a tackle. The players on

:34:11. > :34:23.the pitch were calling for the video referee. A good chance, that was.

:34:24. > :34:27.Still 181116 for Italy, coming up to the final 20 minutes of the match.

:34:28. > :34:55.And what a match this will be -- still 18 - 16 for Italy.

:34:56. > :35:18.The Welsh team were all offside. They have got to get appear now. He

:35:19. > :35:29.played advantage, didn't he, to start with. It is a juice thing now.

:35:30. > :35:34.What would you do here, play on? I would play on now. Only because I

:35:35. > :35:48.think field position has been so vital. Both defences are very tired.

:35:49. > :35:54.I thought he might have been able to reach over them, but that was good

:35:55. > :36:10.something of the ball. Concentration around that ruck.

:36:11. > :36:22.He absolutely smashed him. I want to look at that tackle from a different

:36:23. > :36:29.angle because I don't think you missed. I think he copped in with

:36:30. > :36:40.the crook of his arm on his chin. He did! Jiffy's tackle technique, they

:36:41. > :36:44.can't run without their heads! I don't think it was an attempted

:36:45. > :36:46.stiff arm or anything. I think it was just putting the arm round and

:36:47. > :37:02.got hooked. They got away with that again. Wales

:37:03. > :37:05.have done well there. They have done very, very well to stop the

:37:06. > :37:18.Italians. It is getting to the other end of

:37:19. > :37:22.the fields and then being able to put a set of six together, it is

:37:23. > :37:26.just evading the Wells. Italy have done that. Looking at the possession

:37:27. > :37:36.stats, I am sure that has happened. We are waiting for the lift again.

:37:37. > :37:42.Look at the possession, 66 to 34, you cannot play a game like that can

:37:43. > :37:45.win. Wales are, and if they get to the other end of the field, because

:37:46. > :37:50.they are defending so well, they give themselves a chance. The fact

:37:51. > :37:54.it is only 80 and 16 is testament to their courage and fire. -- the fact

:37:55. > :38:37.it is only 18-16. I think Larne Patrick is hurt. Yes,

:38:38. > :38:48.I think he is. I think he is all over the shop, isn't he goes macro

:38:49. > :38:58.get hold of him. Italy playing a very, very simple game, using the

:38:59. > :39:06.forwards, contain the Welsh pack. 17 minutes remaining, Italy in the

:39:07. > :39:13.lead, 18-16. Some fierce rugby being played down there. There will be

:39:14. > :39:22.some saw bodies after this game. Well taken! Good play, as well. Rhys

:39:23. > :39:26.Williams they're running into trouble. An entertaining game,

:39:27. > :39:49.though, isn't it? Very much so. Elliot Kear's schoolmate Gareth Bale

:39:50. > :39:54.will be playing later on this evening. Sam Warburton, as well.

:39:55. > :40:00.What a class that must have been! Let's hear from Damien again. On the

:40:01. > :40:03.touchline we have got Danny Jones, one of the reserve halfbacks. What

:40:04. > :40:07.do Wales have to do damage and of breaking the game apart? It has been

:40:08. > :40:11.the panto throughout the game will stop they probably need to come up

:40:12. > :40:21.with better kicks than the one they have come up with -- it has been nip

:40:22. > :40:25.and cup throughout the game. Do you feel you have got enough gas in the

:40:26. > :40:30.tag? I think that is what will come through, we will probably have more

:40:31. > :40:33.left in the tank than the Italians. We have been working away for a

:40:34. > :40:38.couple of weeks now in North Wales on a training camp so I am sure our

:40:39. > :40:44.fitness will hold out. Thanks, Danny. A confident Danny Jones

:40:45. > :40:50.there. Fitness will show now as we approach the last ten or 20 minutes.

:40:51. > :40:57.Wales have to give themselves a chance, with poor kicking and a

:40:58. > :41:00.couple of errors. It is these big forwards who are slowly beginning to

:41:01. > :41:12.breakdown this Welsh defence. Can they break it completely now?

:41:13. > :41:18.What a tackle that is! That is an amazing tackle! I thought it was in.

:41:19. > :41:32.Touristic reactions from the Welsh there. -- horrific reactions.

:41:33. > :41:46.Well done, Wales. Riethmuller. Larne Patrick on reasonable, that is a

:41:47. > :41:47.great tackle. Let's see if they can survive this now and try and get

:41:48. > :42:07.upfield. Well taken. Good jump by Elliot

:42:08. > :42:15.Kear. Very quick play of the ball. I feel they need a penalty, Wales.

:42:16. > :42:20.They do. They need the big runners now. I don't think they have made a

:42:21. > :42:33.yard yet. These Italian forwards are really coming in, putting the

:42:34. > :42:37.tackling. And that is the penalty. Play five, life-saving, game

:42:38. > :42:43.changing penalty, and he knows it. This could be a life-saver for

:42:44. > :42:49.Wales. Needs a good kick. That'll do, towards the halfway line. Ten

:42:50. > :42:57.metres in. Nervous Carlo Napolitano, I'm sure. Two point is not enough at

:42:58. > :43:09.the moment. Just less than 14 minutes remaining.

:43:10. > :43:23.All the hard work... Big mistake. Suddenly gone. That was a ball for

:43:24. > :43:33.Rhys Evans, stuck his arm out. Danny Jones said, just little bit of

:43:34. > :43:37.composure, that is all they need. A lot of people have treated me

:43:38. > :43:42.saying, what is the point of rugby league scrum? I'm sorry I can't

:43:43. > :43:55.answer that. Just the start of play, these days, isn't it? What is the

:43:56. > :43:58.point they a would-be union scrum? It is a competition now. -- rugby

:43:59. > :44:16.union scrum. Let's get back to this game, the

:44:17. > :44:20.Italians, just 12 minutes remaining. Aiden Guerra is such a threat. Wales

:44:21. > :44:25.have given themselves too much to do. Minichiello coming in from the

:44:26. > :44:36.fallback position, directing operations.

:44:37. > :44:46.He flicked it out beautifully! Tedesco touched it down! Let's see

:44:47. > :44:53.it. What a pass off the floor! Is he looking to see whether he was

:44:54. > :44:57.tackled? Brian thought he was offside, so he should go to offside.

:44:58. > :45:16.He is looking for the factor of whether he was tackled, whether his

:45:17. > :45:24.ball carrying arm was on the floor. Isn't he offside? Does he get within

:45:25. > :45:32.ten metres? Yes. He looks to be tackled. He has not said he is

:45:33. > :45:43.offside. It is whether his arms are on the ground. A Welshman has to

:45:44. > :45:52.touch him. He knocks on. Maybe not. I don't think it was completed.

:45:53. > :46:07.Does he drop this ball? No, he shovels it up. Hang on. The Welsh

:46:08. > :46:20.boys are walking forwards. The Italian boys are walking back. A bit

:46:21. > :46:33.of good ology? -- a bit of kid ology? I think that will be a tried

:46:34. > :46:42.for James Tedesco. A big call. It is a try.

:46:43. > :46:56.A try for Italy and could that be the winner? He is nodding his head

:46:57. > :47:08.in agreement. 22-16. He takes it well. Quick thinking. A lovely

:47:09. > :47:17.little kick. He gets high again, he is not held on the floor, he scoops

:47:18. > :47:22.it away and a lovely pass. Joshua Mantellato has had a big impact on

:47:23. > :47:29.this game. He still gives Wales a Smith if he misses it. Here he is

:47:30. > :47:42.again. His toughest kick so far, this. It is high, it is spinning

:47:43. > :47:51.around. But it is still 22-16. How long have we got on the clock? About

:47:52. > :47:59.ten minutes at the moment. That is a good try. They need a big defensive

:48:00. > :48:05.set now but in the opposition half. They have gone short. I think they

:48:06. > :48:13.have got to try and get the ball. They can't get hold of the ball. If

:48:14. > :48:23.you look at the possession, 60% to Italy, 40% to Wales. 60% in the

:48:24. > :48:30.second half. The one time they have been at the right end of the field,

:48:31. > :48:34.they have scored. I think they can. That is where they have been so much

:48:35. > :48:41.better than Wales. Getting out of their own half. Here come Italy

:48:42. > :48:46.again. It is these forwards causing the problems. Fitness will tell and

:48:47. > :49:00.they appear to have it. A good flick out wide. He is still going. What a

:49:01. > :49:06.ball! And Chris Centrone scores in the corner. Will that put an end to

:49:07. > :49:15.any Welsh hopes of a win at the Millennium Stadium? A different

:49:16. > :49:26.crass -- class. He has been a huge difference today. Anthony

:49:27. > :49:27.Minichiello to Aiden Guerra and what a ball that is. That is a great

:49:28. > :49:48.pass. This is it. I think you have got a look at these

:49:49. > :49:54.Italian forwards as well. They are so strong. But they have had so much

:49:55. > :50:00.ball in the second half they have been allowed to look strong. In the

:50:01. > :50:07.end, it has told on the Welsh team. That amount of possession against

:50:08. > :50:14.you, it is too hard. Joshua Mantellato. Yet another one on the

:50:15. > :50:28.touchline. Iestyn Harris looks resigned to the

:50:29. > :50:32.situation. But more matches to come for Wales. They can still qualify.

:50:33. > :50:50.This is a very tight group. 26 - 16. Looking for another two

:50:51. > :50:59.points. He has tried to swing round but not a game. Ten points the

:51:00. > :51:08.difference for Italy. Here we see Aiden Guerra. Good hands, he steps

:51:09. > :51:16.and steps and steps and there is the money ball. Absolutely brilliant

:51:17. > :51:22.from Aiden Guerra. I don't think this has gone ten.

:51:23. > :51:31.A very poor kick from Wales puts the pressure back on the Dragons. They

:51:32. > :51:36.needed the ball back but when you have tried so hard and done

:51:37. > :51:40.reasonably well, and so little ball in the second half, you try

:51:41. > :51:50.everything in your power to change it and sometimes it goes against

:51:51. > :51:54.you. Italy kicking it long and high. Wales have got to hang in there now.

:51:55. > :51:56.They will be deflated and absolutely out on their feet because of the

:51:57. > :52:11.defensive work. Raymond Nasso launching yet another

:52:12. > :52:21.foray. They are making good ground. He switches the movement. Down

:52:22. > :52:31.beside a again, aren't they? Always favouring this side. A nice little

:52:32. > :52:39.holder of the ball there. Raymond Nasso goes for the line himself. I

:52:40. > :52:44.am sure they will come this side again. Anthony Minichiello is

:52:45. > :52:57.lurking. It is the kick to the corner. That is a knock-on, surely.

:52:58. > :53:01.Yes, it is. Just six minutes remaining, ten points the

:53:02. > :53:08.difference. Something special needed from the Dragons.

:53:09. > :53:16.They just need to play a little bit hotter. They have got a chance there

:53:17. > :53:25.am a little bit. Good learning there from Larne Patrick. -- running. They

:53:26. > :53:30.have got to move it out wide. Tyson Frizell. Just a couple of tackles

:53:31. > :53:39.remaining in this sequence. A good, strong run. Jordan James. The last

:53:40. > :53:40.tackle. Is it with a high one? Somebody has got to get underneath

:53:41. > :53:57.it. A great take. You would put your house on it. In a

:53:58. > :54:07.tight game situation, I been there, you would. He has been doing it for

:54:08. > :54:13.years. Their big players have really stepped up, the Italians, I have got

:54:14. > :54:21.to say. Anthony Minichiello, Aiden Guerra I think Dean Parata has also

:54:22. > :54:28.played well. They have got a good spine. Italy once again with the

:54:29. > :54:47.ball in hand. The rank outsiders in this

:54:48. > :54:53.tournament. 500-1. They are not going to win it. They just could not

:54:54. > :55:08.pick that ball up, could they? I don't think it is quite a fair

:55:09. > :55:13.reflection of how much effort Wales are putting in but often in games

:55:14. > :55:16.like this it is not. They have not had any ball in this half and not

:55:17. > :55:26.been able to establish any field position. None whatsoever. A very

:55:27. > :55:33.disappointed Craig Kopczak there. He has given it his all. The referee

:55:34. > :55:48.just stopping play while the ball is retrieved. We understand that the

:55:49. > :55:50.media have named their man-of-the-match as Joshua

:55:51. > :55:57.Mantellato. We would not disagree with that, would we? I would

:55:58. > :56:07.disagree with that. I think Aiden Guerra has been the standout player.

:56:08. > :56:10.Italy with possession yet again. I think Raymond Nasso has made a big

:56:11. > :56:14.difference since coming on the field as well. He holds the ball well,

:56:15. > :56:34.doesn't he? It is Wales defending yet again with

:56:35. > :56:47.a ten point deficit. Good play by Italy. Good tackle by Elliot Kear

:56:48. > :56:51.there. Moving it behind the line. That is a little bit too hard but I

:56:52. > :57:06.don't think it will trouble the Azzurri.

:57:07. > :57:12.Time surely running out on this Welsh outfit. A very tired looking

:57:13. > :57:20.Wales at the moment. But there is a good run. Did he get it away? I

:57:21. > :57:33.think he has given a forward pass. You have got to chance your arm.

:57:34. > :57:40.Yes, it is. He got that right. It was a good run by Ian Webster

:57:41. > :57:44.though. Tyson Frizell attracted the defenders and got his hands free. It

:57:45. > :57:50.is hard to be critical at this stage. A disappointed Iestyn Harris

:57:51. > :57:52.there but I am sure he will have them primed and ready for their next

:57:53. > :58:06.match against the USA in Wrexham. Plenty to play for in this

:58:07. > :58:14.particular mini league in this World Cup competition.

:58:15. > :58:22.The Azzurri will surely play down this set of six now. Proving to be

:58:23. > :58:23.the surprise team in this tournament, especially after that

:58:24. > :58:42.warm up win over England. They have had a good week, haven't

:58:43. > :58:49.they? A very good week. Content just to drive it in and take the tackle.

:58:50. > :58:56.Less than a minute remaining. Raymond Nasso once the ball. He

:58:57. > :59:04.switches to the blind-side and they are in again. Mark Minichiello

:59:05. > :59:15.crashing through. Daylight in the Italian camp. -- delight. This is

:59:16. > :59:22.just down to tiredness, the defenders falling off. Mark

:59:23. > :59:27.Minichiello just hitting the whole. But absolutely down to tiredness.

:59:28. > :59:40.That is the result of all double have had. It was a forward pass.

:59:41. > :59:48.More often than not when you are on the losing team, you do not get the

:59:49. > :59:52.calls. Wales have not had any ball. A convincing scoreline for Italy.

:59:53. > :00:00.And that man, Mark Minichiello, absolutely decided -- delighted to

:00:01. > :00:06.grab that four points. Congratulations all round in the

:00:07. > :00:14.Italian camp. Iestyn Harris offering his congratulations to the coach.

:00:15. > :00:31.So, the last act of the game, yet another kick from Joshua Mantellato.

:00:32. > :00:40.Lofted high, and he gets it. Two points, then, to Italy. They

:00:41. > :00:46.congratulate each other, and it is 32 points to 16 for the Azzurri,

:00:47. > :00:58.terrific win here. It is a difficult match to come against Scotland, that

:00:59. > :01:02.they must be hopeful now. I thought it was just a solid performance, and

:01:03. > :01:12.think the big players stood out. Minichiello, Aiden Guerra, just that

:01:13. > :01:16.little bit of extra class. Wales have just got to try to get up now

:01:17. > :01:26.and hope somebody beats these Italians. Plenty of effort from

:01:27. > :01:28.Wales but Italy win 32-16. And the winning coach Carlo Napolitano joins

:01:29. > :01:35.me now. A successful evening for you. Yes, it has been a major couple

:01:36. > :01:39.of years getting the team together and it was great to see the

:01:40. > :01:43.combination of the opening game, the opening ceremony, and beating Wales,

:01:44. > :01:50.who were a tough opponent. What was the difference tonight? Was it the

:01:51. > :01:54.NRL experience? When you have got top level footballers playing, of

:01:55. > :01:58.course the standard of football is going to be better. I thought there

:01:59. > :02:02.was room for improvement, and we will improve on a week to week

:02:03. > :02:06.basis, but overall I am happy with the first week, so proud of the

:02:07. > :02:10.boys. The due sense in the second half that Wales were there for the

:02:11. > :02:17.taking, because they had it horrific defensive first half. Iestyn will

:02:18. > :02:23.have Wales firing as a professional outfit. We knew what was going to

:02:24. > :02:28.come, and they just made it really, really difficult for us. We had to

:02:29. > :02:32.stick to our game plan. Joshua Mantellato, the man of the match, is

:02:33. > :02:38.with us. Well done, it was a bruising game. Very bruising,

:02:39. > :02:44.especially as the middle there. The forwards dominated later in the

:02:45. > :02:51.second half. Do you feel you are on a roll after the win against

:02:52. > :02:56.England? It gave us a bit of confidence coming into the

:02:57. > :03:00.tournament. To get the win last week was special but tonight it even

:03:01. > :03:04.better because it counts for something. Every World Cup, and

:03:05. > :03:08.unfancied team comes through, it was Fiji last time, previously Wales

:03:09. > :03:12.have done it. Could it be Italy this time? Definitely, we have got the

:03:13. > :03:15.experience in the middle so if we can stay injury free and get through

:03:16. > :03:17.the group games, anything is possible. Well done. Thank you very

:03:18. > :03:29.much. Iestyn Harris joins me. Bitterly

:03:30. > :03:34.disappointed to lose the opening game? Yes, bitterly disappointed. I

:03:35. > :03:39.thought Italy were by far the better side. I thought we were poor in a

:03:40. > :03:42.lot of areas. We did not deserve anything out of the game. If you

:03:43. > :03:46.don't deserve anything out of the game, you shouldn't get it. The team

:03:47. > :03:54.tackled themselves to a standstill. Was that, in the end, you're doing?

:03:55. > :03:59.I think so. They made it difficult for us. We did not quite get into

:04:00. > :04:02.the attacking flow that we wanted to get in and ultimately they had a lot

:04:03. > :04:07.more possession than us and we had too much defending to do. Where does

:04:08. > :04:11.this leave your campaign? It does not leave us in tatters. What it

:04:12. > :04:15.does is leave us with some work to do to make sure we turn it around in

:04:16. > :04:19.the next seven days. We have got two more group games and if we can win

:04:20. > :04:23.the next two group games we have still got a chance of going through

:04:24. > :04:29.the group. We need to get over this very, very quickly and go onto the

:04:30. > :04:35.game. Thank you. So, Italy have beaten Wales by 32

:04:36. > :04:39.points to 16 in the second match of the afternoon in the Rugby league

:04:40. > :04:44.World Cup. At half-time bowl Crabtree and Jon Wilkin were with me

:04:45. > :04:50.and saying about how close the stats were. But now Italy are into the 60s

:04:51. > :04:54.and Wales dropping in the 30s for their possession and territory. At

:04:55. > :05:02.half-time we were saying about how close it was on the stat board. You

:05:03. > :05:06.can see possession and territory, Italy were far higher and that is

:05:07. > :05:09.what got them in the end. Wales could not hang in there. It took it

:05:10. > :05:13.out of them and it was a shame that it ran away but Italy always looked,

:05:14. > :05:20.we were talking before, we were saying it looked like Italy had that

:05:21. > :05:24.level. Double the amount of penalties conceded by the Welsh as

:05:25. > :05:28.opposed to the Italians. When we get onto penalties with England and

:05:29. > :05:32.Australia, it hurt the English as well. Penalties play a big part in

:05:33. > :05:36.the modern game. It is credit to Italy that the Welsh were not

:05:37. > :05:40.necessarily at fault. Italy showed how simple this game can be. Frankie

:05:41. > :05:47.Vaughan ran onto the ball at real speed, they had Parata at nine who

:05:48. > :05:51.seemed smart around the ruck. Some really good examples of how you can

:05:52. > :05:55.play a simple game plan and make it very effective, and Italy did that

:05:56. > :05:58.in the second half. We will show you the highlights of England against

:05:59. > :06:02.Australia before we come off air at 7pm, so we will show you what

:06:03. > :06:06.happened in the first game. As far as the second half of this game,

:06:07. > :06:13.let's go through the drive that were scored. Wales scored first? They

:06:14. > :06:17.did, it was a premeditated kick plate. There was only one place he

:06:18. > :06:22.wanted to, that is the crossfield kick from Seamark. A great piece of

:06:23. > :06:28.execution to put the ball in the space and then Elliot Kear, we spoke

:06:29. > :06:32.about to Joe being able to do that. That is the catch we were talking

:06:33. > :06:37.about earlier, to rise above the defending player, two hands, not

:06:38. > :06:44.quite clean but does what is that it the second time. We have seen a few

:06:45. > :06:49.of those in both games. This is classic centre play for me. Three on

:06:50. > :06:54.three, teases the opposite defender, go in and the way. It creates the

:06:55. > :07:00.illusion he will beat the centre and then what I play, fantastic flick

:07:01. > :07:04.pass, and the Welsh winger was really caught in two minds, Rhys

:07:05. > :07:09.Williams there. An excellent piece of skill from Tedesco. The two

:07:10. > :07:13.Italian centres were pure class today, really exceptional players.

:07:14. > :07:19.We saw Wales score from a premeditated kick will stop

:07:20. > :07:29.Mantellato gets a crossfield kick, gets some great height, uses his

:07:30. > :07:33.backside to create some room. Another good off-load, a great try

:07:34. > :07:39.for Italy. They really dominated this period of the game. Was it a

:07:40. > :07:42.close call for you between Mantellato and Aiden Guerra for who

:07:43. > :07:48.got the man of the match? Aiden Guerra does a similar off-load

:07:49. > :07:52.here. To be honest, my opinion, I thought Aiden Guerra should have

:07:53. > :07:55.been man of the match, he was outstanding and that off-load was

:07:56. > :08:04.ridiculous, one of the best we will see. He is a speculator, to say the

:08:05. > :08:07.least. He is going to the floor, not a clue where the wind is but he

:08:08. > :08:14.knows he will be on the wings somewhere, it is the perfect ball.

:08:15. > :08:22.The final try was harsh on the Welsh but highlighted their tiredness?

:08:23. > :08:26.These glitzy bits we see at the end of a product of a lot of hard work

:08:27. > :08:32.by the guys up front. I am a bit biased, Mike team-mate Anthony

:08:33. > :08:37.Laffranchi was exceptional today. Let's look at the group tables.

:08:38. > :08:46.Italy top of group C with the win over Wales. The Welsh of course are

:08:47. > :08:52.in the other group, Group D. They are the alongside the Cook Islands

:08:53. > :08:57.and the US. You play every site in your own group in Group C and Group

:08:58. > :09:01.D but then you play one of the site in the opposing group. If you are at

:09:02. > :09:07.all confused about the structure of the Rugby league World Cup, let's

:09:08. > :09:11.have Dave Edwards guide us through. The 2013 Rugby league World Cup is

:09:12. > :09:14.the 14th in its history. The inaugural tournament was in 1954

:09:15. > :09:18.when Great Britain eat France and that was to be the first of the

:09:19. > :09:23.Lions people squeeze successes. The last, in 2008, saw New Zealand claim

:09:24. > :09:27.that only the tree with a win over Australia will stop in between those

:09:28. > :09:33.years, Australia dominated, winning nine titles. This year's competition

:09:34. > :09:40.sees 14 teams split into four groups, two four teams and two of

:09:41. > :09:45.three. Group ACs England alongside pretournament favourites Australia,

:09:46. > :09:50.2000 quarterfinalists Island and 2008 semifinalist Fiji. Group B

:09:51. > :09:56.features holders the Kiwis, twice runners-up France, Papua New Guinea

:09:57. > :10:00.and the 2000 quarterfinalists Samoa. Group C is made up of Scotland's

:10:01. > :10:06.Braveheart, 2000 quarterfinalists Tonga and debutants the jewellery

:10:07. > :10:10.from Italy. With DC 's former semifinalist Wales, the Cook Islands

:10:11. > :10:16.in their second World Cup, and first timers the USA, Hawks. In groups a

:10:17. > :10:20.and B, each team plays each other. The fixtures are made up of each

:10:21. > :10:26.team playing a nation from the other small group so teams from Group C

:10:27. > :10:30.will play one match from teams from Group D. Beyond the group stage the

:10:31. > :10:34.competition is a straight knockout. As the four team groups a and B

:10:35. > :10:38.contain the higher seeded nations, the quarterfinal line-up is made up

:10:39. > :10:42.of the top three teams from those stronger groups and just the winners

:10:43. > :10:49.of Group C and the. Those last eight meetings will determine the four

:10:50. > :10:52.semifinalist who will face off in the double-header at Wembley before

:10:53. > :10:56.one team's rugby league fantasy will be fulfilled at Old Trafford was

:10:57. > :11:04.theatre of dreams in the final of the 30th of November.

:11:05. > :11:09.As somebody who dropped art before GCSE, I am in awe of the artistic

:11:10. > :11:13.talent on that Trail! It was beautiful. Highlights of every game

:11:14. > :11:19.in the Rugby league World Cup so far tomorrow, BBC One, from 11:50pm,

:11:20. > :11:23.straight after much of the day two, when we have got every game covered

:11:24. > :11:29.on the BBC across the various outlets. You can hear all begins on

:11:30. > :11:32.five live sports extra or five live. Tomorrow, Papua New Guinea against

:11:33. > :11:36.France and New Zealand against some other. All of the thought of the

:11:37. > :11:41.pundits on the BBC sport website. You can catch up with everything as

:11:42. > :11:45.well on the BBCi play. If you need more sport, Wales against England's

:11:46. > :11:51.women's World Cup qualifier is on BBC Three tonight from 7pm, and of

:11:52. > :11:56.course much of the data might give at 10:20pm on BBC One. Manchester

:11:57. > :12:00.United against Stoke and Aston Villa against Everton among the games you

:12:01. > :12:08.will be able to see. -- Match Of The Day to night at 10:20pm.

:12:09. > :12:11.Brian Noble, Eorl Crabtree and Josh Wilkin are with me. We will get

:12:12. > :12:14.their boards after we show you what happened in the first game between

:12:15. > :12:28.England and Australia. It goes back to Kevin Sinfield. Ryan

:12:29. > :12:36.Hall will score the first try of the World Cup 2013! The referee wants to

:12:37. > :12:42.be absolutely certain, and he is. England are up and running! After a

:12:43. > :12:51.week to forget, they have had a start to remember. Here comes

:12:52. > :12:58.Sinfield with a kick. It is an awkward bounce. Picked up, and

:12:59. > :13:03.touched down by Leroy Cudjoe! Australian mistakes, but the referee

:13:04. > :13:08.wants to make absolutely sure here. Wait for the cheer here. It is a

:13:09. > :13:26.second England try. Greg Inglis grabs it off him and

:13:27. > :13:32.Johnathan Thurston scores a try! The referee checks with the judges. The

:13:33. > :13:42.giant rating this setting that one up. Cameron Smith across to

:13:43. > :13:50.Johnathan Thurston... And in the flies Greg Bird, hauling himself on

:13:51. > :13:51.the line. The referee looks about the judges and says the flying cap

:13:52. > :14:11.by Craig Bird is a try scorer. Off he goes, the England defence is

:14:12. > :14:17.chasing, and Billy Slater with absolute smash and grab moment at

:14:18. > :14:19.the end of the first half, taking the Australians to a level of

:14:20. > :14:24.comfort that they thoroughly deserved. This is massive for

:14:25. > :14:29.England, the opening stages of the second half.

:14:30. > :14:42.Brett Morris has bullied his way over and find a way to touch down.

:14:43. > :14:52.Sam Burgess comes on with power and pace. Australia deal with that... A

:14:53. > :14:58.try from George Burgess! But the referee leaves us hanging on again.

:14:59. > :15:03.He was denied in the first half... He is not to be denied in the second

:15:04. > :15:10.half! And England are back with a fighting chance, and it is one of

:15:11. > :15:20.those Burgess boys that has wrestled the initiative back England's way.

:15:21. > :15:29.Five tackles for England to have a go. Over goes Darius Boyd. He is

:15:30. > :15:34.quite confident he has scored a try here. He has a bigger look at the

:15:35. > :15:40.big screen, knowing what is coming. It is a try for Australia. It might

:15:41. > :15:46.just be the moment that makes absolutely certain of an Australia

:15:47. > :16:02.victory in this opening game. It has gone to ground. And it is a

:16:03. > :16:06.gift! England are back in it. That is the final hooter and the

:16:07. > :16:14.referee will blow the whistle. Disappointing in terms of results

:16:15. > :16:16.for England, losing 28-20, but very encouraging for England in terms of

:16:17. > :16:29.performance. A huge amount to take from that

:16:30. > :16:34.performance. We played reasonably well throughout the game. We started

:16:35. > :16:37.the game of great but we lost our way a little bit. We stopped playing

:16:38. > :16:41.which was a little bit disappointing. We needed to find

:16:42. > :16:44.some energy and we did that at certain stages but too many

:16:45. > :16:50.penalties were given away and too much field position. To find that

:16:51. > :16:55.intensity for full 80 minutes is the challenge. We dropped off on a

:16:56. > :16:59.couple of occasions and against the best team in the world, as they are

:17:00. > :17:06.now, they will make you pay the price. There has been so much

:17:07. > :17:09.build-up, how important for you and the team to post that kind of

:17:10. > :17:15.performance and make people take notice? As a coach you have got to

:17:16. > :17:21.do your job week in, week out. We did that this week. We have got

:17:22. > :17:26.seven blokes what desperate to be in the site next week and that is what

:17:27. > :17:30.we need. Steve McNamara talking after the

:17:31. > :17:33.game. Let's take a look at the statistics from the match. Fairly

:17:34. > :17:38.balanced when it came to possession and territory and tackle completion

:17:39. > :17:44.as well but it goes back to the errors. 20 in total in the game. I

:17:45. > :17:51.don't know whether the page had anything to do with that. But 12 of

:17:52. > :17:53.them by England. It is not a bad platform to start from though

:17:54. > :17:59.because of all the turmoil this week. It just means you are doing

:18:00. > :18:10.extra sets and it takes the energy out of your legs. Cut that out of

:18:11. > :18:15.the game. Sam Tomkins has said, gutted with the result, we will come

:18:16. > :18:18.back stronger from that. Leroy Cudjoe, disappointed with the result

:18:19. > :18:26.but a decent performance to build on. Awesome support today. Brett

:18:27. > :18:30.Ferres says great support today. Despite the errors, it felt like

:18:31. > :18:35.there was a turning point in each half. In the first half, it seemed

:18:36. > :18:42.that when George Burgess went off, England seemed to lose a bit of

:18:43. > :18:48.momentum. When you are playing New Zealand and Australia, they are

:18:49. > :18:53.quality outfits, and I think Steve McNamara half-time speech probably

:18:54. > :18:57.summed it up. This is test match football and it is called a test

:18:58. > :19:00.because you are tested at every level of your concentration, your

:19:01. > :19:04.ability to be in the right place at the right time. It is that little

:19:05. > :19:08.bit when something goes wrong and that is what Australia are pretty

:19:09. > :19:13.good at because the intensity in this competition, you make one

:19:14. > :19:17.mistake and that is it. I thought England with the equal of Australia

:19:18. > :19:21.today. I don't think it was a talent issue, I don't think it was a

:19:22. > :19:24.structure issue, but they made errors at crucial times and gave

:19:25. > :19:28.penalties at crucial times which gave a good team great field

:19:29. > :19:31.position and at that level against Australia and against New Zealand,

:19:32. > :19:39.you are not going to get away with it. It was just before half-time and

:19:40. > :19:46.just after half-time where we got done with a couple of tries. It was

:19:47. > :19:54.group soft penalties and groups of end -- errors that cost England. In

:19:55. > :20:00.those little periods of the game Australia were ruthless. Was the

:20:01. > :20:11.other turning point, you are smiling already, you know what I am going to

:20:12. > :20:20.say. I have got an idea. Witches? -- which is? Did Josh Charnley touch

:20:21. > :20:33.the touchline? We have had a number of messages saying there is no way

:20:34. > :20:36.he did. They say it is a game of inches, that is a game of

:20:37. > :20:42.millimetres if he has touched it there. My tip for him is to go

:20:43. > :20:48.harder earlier to give himself a bit of a chance but that is a tough

:20:49. > :20:50.call. And when we are talking about pitch -- test match football, those

:20:51. > :20:58.referee decisions, the bouncing of the ball, can lead to this. They

:20:59. > :21:09.still had a chance to close that down. Because this try was directly

:21:10. > :21:13.afterwards. I understand the best oration fans because it gives

:21:14. > :21:17.Australia free field position but they could have handled the

:21:18. > :21:23.situation. Maybe the difference would have been that Australia would

:21:24. > :21:28.have defended that set of six. Was he in or was he out or are we saying

:21:29. > :21:36.it is irrelevant? It is irrelevant now. Read the papers. I thought the

:21:37. > :21:38.tough call was the scrum played before half-time because England

:21:39. > :21:44.could have done something about that. We got a bit of confusion.

:21:45. > :21:48.Rangi Chase was bullied by the referee to come to the open side.

:21:49. > :21:52.For our viewers watching and listening and watching the replay,

:21:53. > :22:04.because Sam was running to get into position, Billy Slater has gone for

:22:05. > :22:15.that. An awful lot of love for Billy Slater this evening. Dale Ward says

:22:16. > :22:21.simply, Billy Slater is unreal. Let's take a look at his try again.

:22:22. > :22:26.Rangi Chase got pulled around to the other side of the scrum. Billy

:22:27. > :22:35.Slater is quick in comparison to most people. He sails into the

:22:36. > :22:37.corner there. We turned -- talk about Australia turning up at the

:22:38. > :22:42.right moment in the game and Billy Slater seems to be one of those

:22:43. > :22:46.guys. It always seems that Billy Slater picks up that loose ball and

:22:47. > :22:50.scores that crucial try or comes up with a piece of play. He took

:22:51. > :22:58.another phenomenal one in the second half when he kept the ball in. If

:22:59. > :23:06.you want a comparison for our viewers, James Roby goes for a

:23:07. > :23:10.40-20, he leaps from the sidelines and get the ball back in. They are

:23:11. > :23:21.safe. We don't quite handled that play. Go harder and earlier and you

:23:22. > :23:26.have a chance of stopping that play. Is Sam Burgess going to be in a

:23:27. > :23:31.little bit of trouble? He is on report. He is a little bit lucky

:23:32. > :23:36.that the referee can't quite see because there is a player in front

:23:37. > :23:39.of him. But he connects straight with his face and it is pretty nasty

:23:40. > :23:47.that one. He could be in a little bit of trouble. Sam is a great

:23:48. > :23:52.bloke. I know for a fact that is unintentional. He is trying his best

:23:53. > :23:57.to win the ball back for his team there. People get it wrong but as

:23:58. > :24:01.long as we tried to do these things within rules of the game, I think

:24:02. > :24:09.they should be leniency. When they are outside of the rules of the game

:24:10. > :24:20.they should be punishment. Lots of tweeting about the Burgess Brothers.

:24:21. > :24:25.Andy says, that was lucky that he is only on report but good passion for

:24:26. > :24:35.the big hit. Nathan Driscoll, if I had a sister I would let George

:24:36. > :24:41.Burgess go out with her. Let's take a look at the fixtures and the group

:24:42. > :24:45.table after England's defeat. The thing to remember here, we have said

:24:46. > :24:50.it before, is that three go through from this group. In some ways, the

:24:51. > :24:57.performers matters not as much as the result. It puts a little bit of

:24:58. > :25:02.pressure on because they will have to perform in every game now. I

:25:03. > :25:09.think it is about the juxtaposition in terms of the quarterfinal and the

:25:10. > :25:14.semifinal. They are going to have to pay -- played two more to have

:25:15. > :25:15.teams. It could be a semifinal against New Zealand while the

:25:16. > :25:29.current holders. Very fond memories. Very first time

:25:30. > :25:35.for myself to beat Australia. The first World Cup for New Zealand. To

:25:36. > :25:40.make history is pretty special. New Zealand, the champions of the

:25:41. > :25:44.world! Last time we were the underdogs. I

:25:45. > :25:51.think that tag sits very well with us.

:25:52. > :25:54.When I decided I was going to stay in league for another season, I

:25:55. > :25:58.could not think of anything better than presenting my country at the

:25:59. > :26:04.World Cup. He is great for the side. He is a

:26:05. > :26:08.player held in very high regard and not just in the way he plays on the

:26:09. > :26:10.field but the way he carries himself fit. I know a lot of the squad

:26:11. > :26:19.look-up to him. I guess it is one thing to have a

:26:20. > :26:29.great team on paper but it is how you play on the field. Not a bad

:26:30. > :26:34.first emotional game against Samoa. People are saying this could be one

:26:35. > :26:37.of the games of the tournament. It will definitely be a physical one

:26:38. > :26:41.and both the teams know each other very well. We will want to get off

:26:42. > :26:47.to a great start to the tournament. I think it is a cracker.

:26:48. > :26:51.This is how the New Zealand group lines. France, Papua New Guinea and

:26:52. > :27:06.Samoa. Let's get a quick thought from

:27:07. > :27:12.Robbie Paul. The Kiwis under more pressure as come into this as

:27:13. > :27:15.holders Western Mark that could be a fair assessment. There will be a

:27:16. > :27:19.little bit more pressure but they know they are away from home, they

:27:20. > :27:22.know the Australians go in as tournament favourites, and England

:27:23. > :27:26.have the home advantage, so they will not be too much in their mind,

:27:27. > :27:33.they will be focused on trying to get the job done and using the

:27:34. > :27:38.talent they have. Australia appear to be more concerned about New

:27:39. > :27:42.Zealand than they are about England. I watched a very strong New Zealand

:27:43. > :27:45.team play against the Cook Ireland's last week and they played

:27:46. > :27:57.fantastically well without big boys in the middle of the park. Thank

:27:58. > :28:04.you. Stop making fun of his handkerchief in his pocket. Take it

:28:05. > :28:14.out of your pocket. What if I get a runny nose? It looks like a bit of

:28:15. > :28:19.tea towel. Don't you join in! We have had the start that we wanted.

:28:20. > :28:24.Not result twice but to close games which is how the competition is

:28:25. > :28:28.structured. I think it is a fantastic start to the tournament.

:28:29. > :28:36.We wanted a great competition, some big games. We just need to keep

:28:37. > :28:44.building now and I am sure they will get a lot better. Plenty for England

:28:45. > :28:48.to work on? Definitely, but lots of improvement and more players to come

:28:49. > :28:56.back into the team. People who don't know about the game, come and get

:28:57. > :28:59.them tickets and come and watch. Thank you very much for your

:29:00. > :29:05.company. See you over the course of the next few days and weeks. Thank

:29:06. > :29:09.you for watching. The World Cup is under way. Not great start for

:29:10. > :29:12.England and Wales but at least we have got rugby league.