Wales U20s v Italy U20s Scrum V Live


Wales U20s v Italy U20s

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Wales U20s v Italy U20s. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

To live in Wales is to be conscious at dusk of the spilled blood that

:00:22.:00:27.

went into the making of the wild sky. Dying of the immaculate rivers

:00:28.:00:34.

in all their courses. It is to be aware of both the noisy tractor and

:00:35.:00:41.

hum of the machine, of strife in the woods, vibrant with spent hours. You

:00:42.:00:46.

cannot live in the present. At least not in Wales.

:00:47.:00:51.

There are cries in the dark at night as Powell 's answer the moon and

:00:52.:01:00.

thick ambush of shadows hushed at the Field's corners. There is no

:01:01.:01:05.

present in Wales, and no future. There is only the past.

:01:06.:01:10.

The words of the late local poet RS Thomas landing a lyrical start to

:01:11.:01:19.

tonight's Scrum V. He may have been gazing into the past but tonight it

:01:20.:01:23.

is about the here, no land future as a new generation of international

:01:24.:01:27.

stars get a chance to strut their stuff. This Welsh side was denied

:01:28.:01:32.

the final hurdle twice in major competitions last year against

:01:33.:01:34.

England here when they missed out on a Grand Slam and against England

:01:35.:01:38.

again in the final of the Junior World Championship. There are a lot

:01:39.:01:43.

of new faces, that is the nature of Under 20s rugby, but hunger to go

:01:44.:01:48.

one step further is certainly there. Good evening and welcome to Parc

:01:49.:01:57.

Eirias in Colwyn Bay. A very decent crowd here tonight, despite the

:01:58.:02:00.

inclement weather. Martyn Williams joins me, and we have said it before

:02:01.:02:04.

and will see it again in the absence of an A-side this has become a

:02:05.:02:07.

critical step in the pathway of players. It is hugely important, you

:02:08.:02:13.

only have to look at tomorrow's starting side, a couple of years ago

:02:14.:02:18.

they were in the Under 20s team. It shows the pathway is there, it is

:02:19.:02:22.

live on TV which is an added incentive for players come it is a

:02:23.:02:26.

shop window. This is a big game for these young kids.

:02:27.:02:32.

Our analyst and a fashion guru Sean Holley is on the clock for us

:02:33.:02:36.

tonight. We mentioned the turnover in players, there are only five with

:02:37.:02:41.

Under 20s experience in this 15, it will be those guys the youngsters

:02:42.:02:45.

are looking to for leadership. You are right, it is an inexperienced

:02:46.:02:49.

team and a shortage in the Loch Department.

:02:50.:02:53.

Expect Byron Hayward, the new head coach, to play with an expansive

:02:54.:02:57.

style tonight. The two I will be watching tonight are the more

:02:58.:03:02.

experienced. Nicky Thomas is incredibly flexible for such a big

:03:03.:03:05.

man which allows him to get into a good scrummage position. There may

:03:06.:03:11.

be a lack of forward power behind them. Steffan Hughes is the man

:03:12.:03:14.

behind him and it is a big year for the Scarlets centre as he leads his

:03:15.:03:19.

team to the Junior Rugby World Cup. Look for him to force the Italians

:03:20.:03:25.

back inside tonight. The gap is centre partner, Harri Evans of North

:03:26.:03:28.

Wales. Lots of talent on show tonight.

:03:29.:03:35.

Anyone you have an ion tonight? A lot of these boys will have played

:03:36.:03:39.

in the Premiership but you might not have seen them on TV.

:03:40.:03:42.

We have spoken of Byron Hayward, the coach tonight, he is very much like

:03:43.:03:47.

Rob Howell, that is the kind of scrum-half he is. And he is a

:03:48.:03:53.

Pontypridd boy, as well, so that counts. He has been first choice

:03:54.:03:56.

then this even -- of this season which says something about his

:03:57.:03:59.

talent at such a young age. Of course, Rhodri Evans, his

:04:00.:04:05.

predecessor year, is now in the full Welsh squad.

:04:06.:04:11.

The staff and the management team of Wales have shown they will throw

:04:12.:04:13.

youngsters and if they have the talent and skill set.

:04:14.:04:19.

That is the point they will take come if you are young and good

:04:20.:04:22.

enough, you are in there. It is a long walk from the dressing rooms to

:04:23.:04:25.

the pitch, the Italians are on their way.

:04:26.:04:28.

The Welsh team will follow them. Something else Byron Hayward

:04:29.:04:31.

mentioned which is interesting, Danny Wilson started this weekend

:04:32.:04:35.

with Under 20s, the youngsters train on Tuesday with this in your squad.

:04:36.:04:40.

Is that something they will relish or will they be in or? -- with the

:04:41.:04:46.

senior squad. The older players absolutely despise it, it is a full

:04:47.:04:49.

on session. It is good experience for the

:04:50.:04:53.

youngsters. Irony Hayward caught up with Phil Steele a few moments

:04:54.:04:59.

before we came on air. Finalists at the World Cup in the

:05:00.:05:03.

summer, a lot of expectation on the team tonight, how will they cope?

:05:04.:05:08.

We will try to deflect from the expectation on the players and give

:05:09.:05:11.

them focus on the process and performance. We are not worried too

:05:12.:05:15.

much about outcomes, don't want to put that pressure on the players. It

:05:16.:05:19.

is important to concentrate and focus on what we have been working

:05:20.:05:22.

on for the past few weeks and deliver from that point of view.

:05:23.:05:26.

Conditions are pretty soggy, will that affect you?

:05:27.:05:31.

Hopefully not, hopefully it will dry up.

:05:32.:05:34.

We have to be able to adapt to conditions and opposition, so we

:05:35.:05:37.

should be very comfortable, I hope. Thanks for your time can enjoy your

:05:38.:05:43.

first Six Nations as head coach. As you can see, both teams are now

:05:44.:05:47.

on the pitch. The anthems are about to come up, that is what the Six

:05:48.:05:51.

Nations are all about. Before that there is a minute's silence, to

:05:52.:05:57.

tragic deaths in Italian rugby recently. And under 20 Italian

:05:58.:06:03.

national player tragically died in a car crash last weekend and an

:06:04.:06:08.

Italian federation board member also passed away this weekend.

:06:09.:07:14.

The anthems are next, after which we will leave you in the capable hands

:07:15.:07:19.

of our commentary team, Rob Jones and Gareth Charles.

:07:20.:07:24.

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi.

:07:25.:09:24.

Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri.

:09:25.:09:30.

Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad.

:09:31.:09:32.

Tros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed. Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm

:09:33.:09:42.

gwlad. As has already been mentioned a big

:09:43.:10:31.

turnover for the Welsh Under 20s team this year, five of them did not

:10:32.:10:35.

play -- did play last season, including Stephan use. Harri Evans

:10:36.:10:39.

in the centre, as well, Nicky Thomas in prop and James Benjamin.

:10:40.:10:47.

Italy in a fairly similar position, led from scrum-half by Maicol

:10:48.:11:01.

Azzolini. The youngest player in their team will not be 19 by

:11:02.:11:02.

October. And the referee this evening is from

:11:03.:11:23.

France, Alexandre Ruiz, as are all of your officials. There was a lot

:11:24.:11:28.

of standing water half an hour ago at Park Eirias, they have done and

:11:29.:11:34.

remarkable job, the staff, to get the Under 20s Six Nations under way

:11:35.:11:37.

on time. Thankfully the rain has abated for a

:11:38.:11:38.

good few hours. Into no man's land. Superbly taken

:11:39.:11:59.

as well by Federico Ruzza. Just brought down in time by Afon

:12:00.:12:04.

Bagshaw. The Italians really capitalising on a defensive error by

:12:05.:12:08.

Wales. It was a defensive error, very poor one.

:12:09.:12:10.

There is no way you can leave the ball bouncing. It was a well judged

:12:11.:12:15.

kick, you look to put the ball into land, not into the hand, and that

:12:16.:12:19.

was a fantastic start for the Italians. Local boy, Afon Bagshaw,

:12:20.:12:27.

one of two North Wales representatives with a tremendous

:12:28.:12:31.

last ditch tackle to save whales's blushes in the opening minute.

:12:32.:12:35.

-- QC Wales's blushes. Ethan Davies making sure the ball is

:12:36.:12:48.

safe. That was a good kick by Ethan Davies and a good exit in fairness

:12:49.:12:51.

by the Welsh side. It was a fantastic tackle. He came

:12:52.:12:57.

across Bagshaw when it looked almost certainly Italians would score in

:12:58.:12:59.

the first minute after that poor mistake.

:13:00.:13:05.

A few nerves jangling, I dare say there are a few nerves out there, a

:13:06.:13:11.

lot of emotion, certainly from the Italians during their anthem. That

:13:12.:13:18.

emotion is being put to good use as Derrick Appiah drives forward.

:13:19.:13:23.

Azzolini with a long pass in midfield, charged down by Steffan

:13:24.:13:28.

Hughes and we gathered safely. Azzolini. Buscema, again the ball is

:13:29.:13:50.

a real, safely gathered this time by Bagshaw, who is driven back by

:13:51.:13:52.

Giacomo De Santis. Tom Williams has a look. And the

:13:53.:14:03.

Italians just told to stay behind the back foot and not encroach.

:14:04.:14:13.

I guess say you will see a fair bit of kicking this evening, conditions

:14:14.:14:16.

being what they are. The boys do want to run, but

:14:17.:14:25.

obviously you have to be pragmatic, as well, on this surface and -- and

:14:26.:14:31.

in particular. You have to play a simple game.

:14:32.:14:32.

Conditions are better than they have been all day but it is still

:14:33.:14:36.

breezy, are bit soggy underfoot. Putting the ball in front is going

:14:37.:14:41.

to be important for the forwards. Safely taken by James Sheekey. A I

:14:42.:14:45.

slipped to Scott Matthews, but that was a very heavy tackle on him.

:14:46.:14:53.

-- might slip to James Sheekey. One thing you are going to get from

:14:54.:14:56.

the Italians is a lot of passion. You could see it in the anthem, and

:14:57.:15:00.

when you are coached by one of the great Italian players I think one

:15:01.:15:05.

thing you are going to get is 100%, every time. There is Alexander

:15:06.:15:20.

Troncon. A legend of the Italian game. Just ahead of us in the

:15:21.:15:29.

commentary box. Wales are quite light up front. They have five back

:15:30.:15:39.

row forwards, basically. Two injuries and a suspension to the

:15:40.:15:43.

second row have left them short in that department. In this tight area,

:15:44.:15:50.

Italy may have the edge. A six stone advantage in the scrum. Let's see if

:15:51.:15:55.

they are like their senior counterparts. They love a scrum.

:15:56.:16:02.

They have got a penalty in the first one. Gone against Lewis. The tight

:16:03.:16:11.

head gets the congratulations of his forwards. Yes, it is good to be a

:16:12.:16:26.

battle. It is wet underfoot. They have got quite an experienced front

:16:27.:16:32.

row, Wales. But when you have got inexperience in the second row, as

:16:33.:16:41.

good as they are, it is difficult. Buscema ports Italy in front. -- put

:16:42.:16:49.

Italy in front. Alongside Rob and much this evening, Gethin Watts, the

:16:50.:16:54.

National performance manager of Welsh rugby. A big turnover for the

:16:55.:17:02.

boys this year? There are a lot of new faces. It happens annually.

:17:03.:17:06.

There is a fair bit of experience in the side. They play regularly in the

:17:07.:17:17.

Premiership. Afon Bagshaw is a converted scrum-half. He has started

:17:18.:17:23.

strongly. Territory is going to be very important to keep these

:17:24.:17:31.

Italians quiet. We will get to know some of these boys better by the end

:17:32.:17:35.

of the evening. And hopefully we will get to know them a lot better

:17:36.:17:37.

in the coming years. It is a walkover for Adams! A great

:17:38.:17:54.

reply by Wales after conceding early points. Superbly done by forwards

:17:55.:18:00.

and backs. Joshua Adams gets the first try. It was turnover ball by

:18:01.:18:07.

Tom Williams. He saw the opportunity. Good hands. As soon as

:18:08.:18:13.

the ball is turned over, you have two make a decision. Do you keep it

:18:14.:18:19.

tight in the wet conditions? That was not the case. Let's get the ball

:18:20.:18:26.

wide. Let's use hands. It was a simple run-in and a great try. Great

:18:27.:18:33.

work in the breakdown by Steffan Hughes. It was. They were queueing

:18:34.:18:44.

up in the end. Biron will be absolutely delighted by that. --

:18:45.:18:56.

Byron Hayward. The cake fades in the end. Wales will be well pleased with

:18:57.:19:09.

that reply. No missed passes. It is using the hands. It is holding

:19:10.:19:12.

defenders just for that split second to make sure you have space out

:19:13.:19:13.

wide. Great work. Wales with five back row forwards in

:19:14.:19:59.

that back five. They will probably want to play more of an open,

:20:00.:20:04.

expansive game. Will the conditions allow it? At the moment, the ground

:20:05.:20:09.

is standing up well. As the game goes on, if the weather continues as

:20:10.:20:13.

it is, you may see more from this Welsh side. On the face of it as

:20:14.:20:22.

well, a good opportunity for Williams.

:20:23.:20:32.

Tom Williams and Scott Matthews have been very prominent in the opening

:20:33.:20:51.

stages. Italy trying to kick -- to keep their shape defensively.

:20:52.:21:08.

Good turnover by Italy. A chance to break.

:21:09.:21:24.

There is a knock-on advantage with Tom Williams in possession. The ball

:21:25.:21:33.

going to the left-hand side. Negri from Western province is the

:21:34.:22:02.

one exception to the home-grown youngsters for Italy. Again the

:22:03.:22:12.

outside have going for distance. -- the outside half. He has kept it in.

:22:13.:22:20.

It was nicely done. He did not knock it on. He was allowed a bit of time

:22:21.:22:29.

to get the clearance. Nicely done. But they had an opportunity to get

:22:30.:22:32.

the line-out which would have given them an opportunity to work their

:22:33.:22:37.

way downfield. It has given Wales possession. It has been good work by

:22:38.:22:42.

Wales. The breakdown has been impressive. Turnover as well.

:22:43.:22:51.

The point I was going to make any, Gethin, about the back row, we know

:22:52.:23:01.

what a massive pack England have got. Hopefully the other boys will

:23:02.:23:05.

be back by the end of the season? Yes, I think what you will see in

:23:06.:23:09.

the next bubble of weeks is quite a big turnover of players. There are

:23:10.:23:20.

about 34 or 35 boys in the squad. We want to take the best players out to

:23:21.:23:24.

the World Cup in Auckland in the summer. The six Nations period is a

:23:25.:23:30.

big development. The best players will go to the World Cup. I suppose

:23:31.:23:39.

that is the thing with the under 20 team. There is a World Cup every

:23:40.:23:45.

year. Not the four-year cycle we see in the senior game. Every year you

:23:46.:23:51.

have to see what is available and love them in the six Nations. What

:23:52.:23:59.

the World Cup does do is it gives invaluable exposure for those

:24:00.:24:03.

players to play against southern hemisphere teams. It has been a

:24:04.:24:07.

policy to try and explode -- expose these players. The under 16 is

:24:08.:24:12.

played two games against Australia before Christmas. It is very

:24:13.:24:18.

important to play the best, to beat the best, to almost take away that

:24:19.:24:27.

inferiority complex. There was certainly no inferiority complex

:24:28.:24:31.

last year. The under 20 team beat the all Blacks.

:24:32.:25:25.

As always here at Parc Eirias, a couple of quires pre-match. And here

:25:26.:25:36.

during the match as well. There is always a great family atmosphere to

:25:37.:25:37.

these occasions. Great tackle by Ferrari on Callum

:25:38.:25:53.

Lewis. There could be a bit of a mismatch

:25:54.:26:17.

in midfield. That is what they were trying to exploit. They could see

:26:18.:26:21.

the forwards out there. They knew there was a penalty coming anyway.

:26:22.:26:31.

The referee has to talk a little bit more. He told them to release. They

:26:32.:26:40.

did release but he awarded them the penalty. Some big hits going in.

:26:41.:26:47.

Some big tackles by the Italians. Just sensing already that Wales look

:26:48.:26:53.

much sharper. Their kicking game looks better in terms of the

:26:54.:26:57.

individuals who can kick the ball well. Also, tactically as well, to

:26:58.:27:01.

kick in the right places. Ethan Davies curled that once safely

:27:02.:27:31.

around. They extend their lead. They probably deserve it overall. The

:27:32.:27:40.

better rugby has come from Wales in the early stages.

:27:41.:27:52.

Great footwork by James Benjamin there.

:27:53.:28:11.

REFEREE: come here, please. The referee is taking no-nonsense.

:28:12.:29:00.

REFEREE: it is a good game. Now, slowly. Do you understand? OK?

:29:01.:29:12.

There has been some good work at the breakdown. They have turned over a

:29:13.:29:16.

couple of balls, they have gained a penalty or two. They have gone in

:29:17.:29:23.

quickly on a few occasions, the Italians. That has given them a good

:29:24.:29:33.

foothold into Welsh territory. A bit of defending for the Welsh

:29:34.:30:02.

boys to do. They do so successfully. Scott Matthews, is it, on the back

:30:03.:30:10.

row? That is consistency from the referee, giving the same: He did a

:30:11.:30:16.

few moments ago. -- the same call.

:30:17.:30:25.

And for the first time we can go pitch side to Phil Steele, who has

:30:26.:30:32.

an access all areas pass, I take it. This is an important man, Harry,

:30:33.:30:38.

give a wave to the camera, Harry. He was the mascot tonight and he

:30:39.:30:43.

plays for the youngsters at a local rugby club. Since we were last here

:30:44.:30:49.

at Park Eirias, a stall work of the rugby club suffered a terrible neck

:30:50.:30:54.

injury a couple of years ago and died in the summer. I am sure we

:30:55.:30:58.

will all be delighted the mascot came from there. -- stall wart are

:30:59.:31:00.

the rugby club. And all over him is Michael at silly

:31:01.:31:18.

me, as he tries to get the ball back. -- Marco Lazzaroni. There was

:31:19.:31:25.

a bit of latitude in that one. I think Elliot Dee went in hard but

:31:26.:31:29.

did not quite fall in the proper position to get the ball back.

:31:30.:31:36.

It is good pace and temple in the drives of the Welsh forwards and in

:31:37.:31:44.

the Welsh team generally. That is Marco Lazzaroni. One of her four

:31:45.:31:54.

players from Molly Arno who played against the Dragons in the challenge

:31:55.:32:07.

this year. -- from Moliano. And two of the others from Moliano are the

:32:08.:32:12.

two props, Derrick Appiah and Simone Ferrari.

:32:13.:32:19.

He has moved them across there, probably because of the fitting, but

:32:20.:32:24.

of the pitch does not seem to be cutting up as badly as I would have

:32:25.:32:29.

expected. John was saying earlier it is a very sandy surface, so it

:32:30.:32:34.

trains very well. -- drains. Just a matter of getting

:32:35.:32:37.

the water off it and letting it settle.

:32:38.:32:44.

And, hopefully, Rupert will be joining Phil Steele at half-time.

:32:45.:32:50.

Just the kicking game I mentioned, Wales have a good tactical kicking

:32:51.:32:56.

game. Byron Hayward, what are you looking to do from the different

:32:57.:33:00.

areas of the field? You mentioned earlier, Ethan has a very cultured

:33:01.:33:06.

left foot. Certainly those deep positions, get

:33:07.:33:11.

the ball long but Horsfield, and give the opportunity for the Welsh

:33:12.:33:15.

boys to challenge at the line-out. He has kicked the ball long and

:33:16.:33:20.

well, but not necessarily off the field command that will be something

:33:21.:33:22.

Byron Hayward will be looking to address at half-time.

:33:23.:33:30.

Back to the place kicking for Ethan Davies this time and he fades it

:33:31.:33:35.

nicely inside the far post. Wales lead 11-3.

:33:36.:33:42.

Mark Taylor, the Wales team manager is with us, the boys are trying to

:33:43.:33:49.

play some attacking rugby despite the underfoot conditions. They have

:33:50.:33:52.

probably played a little bit too much early on in the game, put

:33:53.:33:55.

ourselves under unnecessary pressure, but we are excited.

:33:56.:34:00.

It is just tempering that a little bit. But there is a good attacking

:34:01.:34:03.

philosophy there and hopefully we will carry the ball and -- carry the

:34:04.:34:10.

ball in hand. The Italians like to thrive with the drive rather than

:34:11.:34:13.

the jive, Dorothy? We were expecting that -- don't have

:34:14.:34:17.

the? We were expecting that.

:34:18.:34:21.

Yes, the poet of Phil Steele. Scott Matthews give it his best

:34:22.:34:32.

shot. A bit of a mix-up, through the legs of Dafydd Howells and picked up

:34:33.:34:42.

by Samuel Seno. Wales have had to regroup. They have slowed it down to

:34:43.:34:45.

give themselves every chance to defend.

:34:46.:34:49.

The short ball to Michieletto. And there is Dee and Benjamin both

:34:50.:35:02.

involved. Ricardo Michieletto leading the way.

:35:03.:35:26.

Marco Silva losing a bit of ground, but knocked behind the back foot,

:35:27.:35:28.

that was Will Boyde. I think the referee got that right,

:35:29.:35:39.

coming in from the side. Couple of occasions.

:35:40.:35:43.

That was better than probably more of what we expect from the Italians

:35:44.:35:47.

in the close-up drives. A couple of times, the passes are sort

:35:48.:35:53.

laboured, 23 metres behind the gain line, that Wales are rushing up and

:35:54.:35:57.

the pressure has been excellent by Wales. They have managed to keep

:35:58.:36:02.

hold of the ball. They need to generate that ball a little

:36:03.:36:05.

quicker, the Italians, and just keep the front foot. It is all a bit

:36:06.:36:11.

static, and probably easy for the Welsh to defend.

:36:12.:36:22.

This is the book of Filippo Buscema, that is the only

:36:23.:36:35.

opportunity he has had to date. He has brought them back now within one

:36:36.:36:36.

score. There is a long way to go. There is

:36:37.:36:49.

Mr Gareth Jenkins with some of the young talent available to him.

:36:50.:36:57.

Alan Lewis is alongside him, who is in charge of the under 18 's.

:36:58.:37:06.

We said North Wales has been an important breeding ground for the

:37:07.:37:14.

Scarlets. That is part of their region. Interestingly talking to

:37:15.:37:19.

Robert earlier, they have a couple of boys here know from the Ospreys,

:37:20.:37:27.

some of the blues and the Scarlets. Rupert's team have worked extremely

:37:28.:37:31.

hard and things have ramped up from 2010. When you look at people like

:37:32.:37:37.

Harri Evans and Afon Bagshaw, those are examples of people who have

:37:38.:37:40.

started and come right through the system. George North has come from

:37:41.:37:44.

North Wales, that is well versed, but Afon Bagshaw and Harri Evans are

:37:45.:37:50.

an example of the new generation. There are a number of other new

:37:51.:37:53.

players who are currently involved in under 18s who will be strutting

:37:54.:37:57.

their stuff this time next year for the Under 20s. And there is Afon

:37:58.:38:05.

Bagshaw. From Flint rugby club.

:38:06.:38:11.

He and Harri Evans are both lifeguards in Colwyn Bay and at one

:38:12.:38:14.

stage this afternoon it looked as though they could have come in very

:38:15.:38:16.

handy indeed. James Benjamin. Looking to take

:38:17.:38:33.

Wales away from their online. He looks impressive, doesn't he?

:38:34.:38:37.

We have seen good footwork and good hands from them, as well. He is a

:38:38.:38:45.

good ball carrier for seven. He has played a couple of LV games

:38:46.:38:48.

for the Dragons this year and played a lot more last year but was in the

:38:49.:38:52.

shadow of Ellis Jenkins. He is very well versed with sevens

:38:53.:38:57.

in Wales at the moment and he has a bright future. He is a great

:38:58.:39:00.

footballer and has a fantastic awareness in and around the field.

:39:01.:39:13.

Sebastian Negri with uptake and steel. -- with a cake and steel.

:39:14.:39:29.

Good pressure by Wales. They are competing in the line-out, not just

:39:30.:39:39.

competing in the chicken mackerel but competing once the jumper hits

:39:40.:39:42.

the deck. They are putting a good at a pressure on them at getting what

:39:43.:39:44.

they want. No surprise here, I think every

:39:45.:40:15.

scrum has gone down, more or less. REFEREE: I have a problem with

:40:16.:40:19.

number one. I have a problem. I think he has a problem!

:40:20.:40:27.

The referee turned to Bobby North one day and said, captain, I am not

:40:28.:40:35.

happy with your scrum. Bobby said, you are unhappy with it? ! I was

:40:36.:40:37.

there, I heard it. Good take by James Sheekey, giving

:40:38.:41:03.

them every chance to get the drive going. Led by Scott Matthews. Now

:41:04.:41:11.

slips it to Tom Williams. Inside ball looked forward, and indeed it

:41:12.:41:17.

was. I think that one work early on.

:41:18.:41:18.

It is the second time they have tried that move, getting the ball

:41:19.:41:21.

going wide, trying to commit defenders with a decoy run so there

:41:22.:41:26.

should be space on the inside. That was well covered by the open side,

:41:27.:41:29.

to be fair. It was, except the timing of the run

:41:30.:41:36.

was not great. If a single pass goes a stray or

:41:37.:41:39.

slightly behind, then the move is off. You have to just keep hold of

:41:40.:41:45.

possession. It looked as though they actually had a dogleg from the

:41:46.:41:48.

Italian backs, but the seven got across.

:41:49.:41:53.

He probably learned from earlier. Joshua Adams went through.

:41:54.:41:59.

Yet another scrum goes down. The referee is going to allow this one

:42:00.:42:04.

to come out. I don't quite understand the referee

:42:05.:42:14.

there. It is better for the game as a spectacle, he has not blown up and

:42:15.:42:16.

ordered a penalty. One of Italy's great stall works, is

:42:17.:42:29.

on sport Wales next and Warren Gatland. Wales macro versus Italy

:42:30.:42:39.

from 2006 on Scrum V classic. Then of course the main event from 2pm

:42:40.:42:51.

tomorrow afternoon, kick at 2:30pm, available on the BBC from S4 sea and

:42:52.:43:01.

available on the radio, as well. -- S4C. And a round-up of the

:43:02.:43:03.

weekend's events on Sunday evening. And we will be in a flown next week

:43:04.:43:21.

for the second of the Under 20s fixtures. -- Athlone. A lot of good

:43:22.:43:33.

work by Wales there. It is the moment and the pace, quick

:43:34.:43:37.

delivery, everyone on the front foot, pace coming onto the ball, and

:43:38.:43:41.

unfortunately that kick has just gone astray.

:43:42.:43:46.

Steffan Hughes, just going around having a word with everybody,

:43:47.:43:55.

telling them to keep things going. That is the try scorer, Joshua

:43:56.:44:00.

Adams, and a very well worked move, it was. A quick turn of ball and it

:44:01.:44:06.

could have been one of three in the end.

:44:07.:44:10.

That is a good off-load in the tackle, actually, as well.

:44:11.:44:16.

Yes, they have looked quite impressive in patches, Wales.

:44:17.:44:20.

Considering it is the first time they have come together, they have

:44:21.:44:24.

not had a huge aid of time, they had some sessions before Christmas and

:44:25.:44:28.

more recently a week or so before this game. Yes, as we all know,

:44:29.:44:34.

international preparation is very limited, and that is part and parcel

:44:35.:44:37.

of the developing of these players, to be able to unite a group of

:44:38.:44:42.

players that have not played a great deal together.

:44:43.:44:45.

As I said earlier, it is part and parcel of international rugby. They

:44:46.:44:49.

have two gelled together and come in many respects, this is part of a

:44:50.:44:53.

building block the bigger picture. So far they have done well. I would

:44:54.:44:58.

like to see them build more phases for longer and spend more time in

:44:59.:45:02.

that Italian 22, or certainly attacking third of the pitch.

:45:03.:45:07.

Wales have had the better of the opening half. Certainly

:45:08.:45:12.

territorially. But they have not broken clear yet, by any means. The

:45:13.:45:32.

pressure coming on the Welsh scrum. Not really a threatening option

:45:33.:45:42.

behind by Italy. I think the Italians will just be happy to try

:45:43.:45:46.

to play down in Welsh territory as much as they can. They don't look as

:45:47.:45:50.

if they offer much of a threat behind. They are big and strong,

:45:51.:45:57.

powerful front, as you would expect. That is where the threat is going to

:45:58.:45:58.

come. Great pressure by Wales. Italy left

:45:59.:46:36.

with no real option but to kick. Afon Bagshaw just looked up to see

:46:37.:46:39.

what the options work as the ball was arriving. A lack of

:46:40.:46:45.

concentration. He just lifted his head. He is already looking ahead to

:46:46.:46:51.

see what is in front of him and the mistake is made. Some great pressure

:46:52.:46:59.

by Wales as if they are focusing on the first ball carrier and putting

:47:00.:47:05.

so much pressure on him. It is giving way is a real opportunity to

:47:06.:47:12.

pressurise at the breakdown. -- Wales. Options available for Italy

:47:13.:47:17.

here. Some bad language picked up there on

:47:18.:47:51.

the referee's M. Apologies for that. -- microphone. Ten and 13 directly

:47:52.:48:02.

behind the scrum. It does not matter anyway. The scrum goes down. It will

:48:03.:48:12.

be ten to go for goal. It probably was a penalty. I would just like to

:48:13.:48:23.

see him give some advantage to the Italians. They obviously have

:48:24.:48:33.

something planned. -- had something planned. You could see Callum Lewis

:48:34.:48:44.

folding under that pressure. A six stone advantage. If they get it

:48:45.:48:47.

right, if they technically get it right, it is going to be very

:48:48.:48:53.

difficult to deal with. They have been penalised on a couple of

:48:54.:48:55.

occasions but they have come back from that.

:48:56.:49:09.

Just about crawled over. That will do for Italy. Buscema keeps them in

:49:10.:49:20.

touch with half-time approaching. You have to keep the ball as tight

:49:21.:49:26.

as possible. You have got to play territory. If we can get scrum after

:49:27.:49:36.

scrum, then penalties will come and a win is potentially on the cards.

:49:37.:50:42.

Tom Williams dancing and weaving his way forward towards the Italian 22.

:50:43.:51:08.

Good build-up by Wales. Can they finish it off? Within five

:51:09.:51:19.

metres... Wales can sense the try is on. In the end they go backwards.

:51:20.:51:25.

They still have possession. Italy under pressure. A couple of

:51:26.:51:48.

metres short. Tom Williams driven back there. Still Wales Hang onto

:51:49.:51:56.

the ball and recycle it. Howell 's couldn't hang on to the deep ball.

:51:57.:52:05.

-- to the ball. Waves have got to learn to be patient. There was a lot

:52:06.:52:15.

of good work in there. -- Wales. They started to become a little bit

:52:16.:52:21.

selfish. You cannot force any passes. Just go through the phases.

:52:22.:52:25.

The longer you keep the ball better chance you have got of finding space

:52:26.:52:30.

somewhere. That is something they have to learn. A lot of good play.

:52:31.:52:35.

Very impressed so far with Scott Matthews. His work at the breakdown,

:52:36.:52:42.

he carries aggressively. And Ben Roach as well looked very like --

:52:43.:52:49.

lively. Yes, Ben Roach is a good player. He is returning from a

:52:50.:52:53.

long-standing injury. He is an impressive individual. Both as a

:52:54.:53:00.

rugby player and as a person. He is athletically very good. You have

:53:01.:53:03.

seen a lot of that in the way that he carries the ball. You can see he

:53:04.:53:10.

is very mobile around the field. It is about Wales trying to maintain

:53:11.:53:15.

possession, maintain pressure. If they can do that, hopefully a score

:53:16.:53:22.

or two will come. One before half-time would be handy.

:53:23.:53:51.

Wales exerting pressure at the end of this first half.

:53:52.:54:07.

A little bit overambitious, Wales. Yes, again, talking about being

:54:08.:54:16.

impatient. We have seen them make a mistake. I am pretty convinced that

:54:17.:54:23.

Wales, with the quality we have seen early on, if they keep the ball long

:54:24.:54:28.

enough, they can win this game comfortably. I think patience has

:54:29.:54:33.

been said a couple of times tonight. Italy are not committing men to the

:54:34.:54:39.

breakdown area. If you look across the line, the field is always full.

:54:40.:54:46.

Patients will be very important. Even taking the ball off nine and

:54:47.:54:52.

soaking a few more defenders in. Hopefully that will be prevalent in

:54:53.:54:57.

the second half. The final play of the first half.

:54:58.:55:20.

Gethin Watts will be leaving us during the intervals. Thank you very

:55:21.:55:29.

much, Gethin, for the insights. Certainly it has been illuminating.

:55:30.:55:38.

A good scrum from Wales to finish the half.

:55:39.:55:51.

Wales have one last attack. Matthew is again offering himself.

:55:52.:56:14.

Good defending by Italy. Wales taking it to the Italian defence.

:56:15.:56:44.

A long last passage of play. Wales doing their best to give themselves

:56:45.:57:08.

a bit of a cushion at half-time. Into double figures as far as the

:57:09.:57:25.

phases go. Keeping the Italian defence on it. It has gone forward.

:57:26.:57:32.

And in the end, Wales, way empty-handed from that attack. That

:57:33.:57:41.

is the story of the half. Plenty of possession for Wales, plenty of time

:57:42.:57:50.

spent in the Italy half. Just the one tried from Joshua Adams. Italy

:57:51.:57:51.

still in the hunt. -- one try. After an emotional couple of

:57:52.:58:09.

anthems, the visitors almost struck first. They did score the first

:58:10.:58:14.

penalty. Then Wales struck back. Some slick movement in the three

:58:15.:58:17.

quarters line. They were queueing up to score in the end. It was Josh

:58:18.:58:25.

Adams who did get over the try line. Davies scoring the converging. The

:58:26.:58:31.

Italians kept themselves in touch with a few penalties. 11-9 is the

:58:32.:58:38.

half-time score. Perhaps not reflecting Wales's dominance.

:58:39.:58:56.

Martin, you and I spoke to Byron Hayward before the start of the game

:58:57.:59:02.

and he was determined not to allow the conditions to affect the game.

:59:03.:59:07.

He wanted them to show enterprise and they have done that? Yes, all

:59:08.:59:14.

credit to them. They have really tried to play. Full credit to them.

:59:15.:59:19.

Perhaps they are going wide to early rather than trying to go up the

:59:20.:59:24.

middle. Some great floods in the tackle. They have looked dangerous.

:59:25.:59:29.

Perhaps they were trying to play a little too much, too early. Sean,

:59:30.:59:33.

you have had a look at the first try. They are trying to play with

:59:34.:59:41.

high tempo. I have been particularly impressed by their balance of play.

:59:42.:59:45.

It showed in the try. It came from a loose Italian cake. -- kick. What I

:59:46.:59:53.

have noticed with this Welsh team is they are attacking both sides of the

:59:54.:00:08.

rock. -- ruck. Year outside half kicks it down into Italian territory

:00:09.:00:12.

and they get a good turnover from that.

:00:13.:00:14.

We would expect that forward to perhaps truck this up, but no, he is

:00:15.:00:19.

light on his feet. The group that pulled back to create the width is

:00:20.:00:23.

now in this part of the field and finished off a lovely try. It is the

:00:24.:00:27.

kind of thing Jonathan Davies is crying out for all the time, one

:00:28.:00:31.

more quick pass going forwards. You're keen eyes pointed out it was

:00:32.:00:36.

the back row that created that try. Yes, always the same. It was great

:00:37.:00:42.

work from James Benjamin on this corner.

:00:43.:00:49.

He was first there, great chase. First in and he has taken the ball.

:00:50.:00:55.

He is a seven by trade. He himself and Scott Matthews have been to the

:00:56.:01:00.

fore in that first half. He uses his fur work. I want -- I think Sean

:01:01.:01:06.

Holley alluded to his footwork earlier. Very skilful from James

:01:07.:01:12.

Benjamin. The backs, we all talk about them,

:01:13.:01:17.

but they have been pretty slick at times tonight despite the breezy

:01:18.:01:21.

ball and tough conditions. It is the balance of the attack and the

:01:22.:01:26.

influence of Byron Hayward. Their pattern of play. Let's take a

:01:27.:01:33.

look at off the line-out. Great off the top ball. The detail in the

:01:34.:01:37.

movement of the backs is important, they are all moving together so the

:01:38.:01:41.

outside half has three options. It is very difficult for our defence at

:01:42.:01:44.

high speed to defend this, you just want at gaps, have shoulders.

:01:45.:01:53.

They set the drive, they are looking to create a two against one at the

:01:54.:01:58.

tail of this drive, but no, then they go wide. Look at the influence

:01:59.:02:01.

of this player, this interference is just enough to create half a yard

:02:02.:02:07.

for the winger, Adams. It is his angle, this 45 degrees angle, that

:02:08.:02:11.

is crucial. That interference is just enough for him to get through

:02:12.:02:19.

and Wales are on the attack again. The tag of both sides of the try --

:02:20.:02:25.

ruck is interesting. We would expect both forwards to go around the

:02:26.:02:30.

corner, but not this team, they go against the grain. This group are

:02:31.:02:34.

pulling back again, they tried to expose a weakened defence. There is

:02:35.:02:38.

a nice balance of play and I am looking forward to watching more in

:02:39.:02:42.

this second half. It is interesting stuff comparing the style of play of

:02:43.:02:45.

the Under 20s to the senior side, who we know are used to pummelling

:02:46.:02:49.

the opposition into submission. This site is not the busiest, the

:02:50.:02:54.

PAC has given away six stone to the Italians, and because of that they

:02:55.:03:02.

have dinner -- outmanoeuvred them. They are looking to play with width,

:03:03.:03:04.

you have to play with your strengths.

:03:05.:03:08.

They are throwing it around, and give them credit, because conditions

:03:09.:03:15.

are very tough. They certainly are. This is the curtain raiser to the

:03:16.:03:20.

main event tomorrow, Wales versus Italy as they defend their Six

:03:21.:03:23.

Nations crown tomorrow in Cardiff, and it is the start of a bumper week

:03:24.:03:27.

of Welsh sport. Have you ever wondered how Warren

:03:28.:03:31.

Gatland relaxes away from rugby? Find out next on Sport Wales.

:03:32.:03:42.

Tomorrow, Colin jumps in the Time Machine for Scrum V classics, where

:03:43.:03:47.

we find post grand slam Wales in a spot of bother.

:03:48.:03:53.

Then it is the main event, Wales begin the defence of their Six

:03:54.:03:56.

Nations crown against Italy in Cardiff on BBC Wales and S4C.

:03:57.:04:07.

And, on Sunday, we will have all of the post match reaction and opinion.

:04:08.:04:12.

Next week it is a Ryan Jones's turn to reminisce as we reflect on a

:04:13.:04:16.

Triple Crown winning performance. Wales have won the Triple Crown! And

:04:17.:04:24.

next Friday we travel to Athlone were Wales Under 20s continue their

:04:25.:04:26.

campaign against the men in green. Plenty to look forward to there.

:04:27.:04:40.

Today is the deadline, the day that the regions gave the union for

:04:41.:04:43.

confirming to them what competitions they will be playing in next

:04:44.:04:47.

season. The news I am afraid is that there is no news. Roger Lewis has

:04:48.:04:53.

said today that he does not recognise that deadline and is not

:04:54.:04:56.

working to it. We know that the regions said if they did not have a

:04:57.:05:00.

clear message they would pursue other options, and we know that that

:05:01.:05:04.

may be pursuing other Welsh competitions. They released a

:05:05.:05:08.

statement before we came on air, effectively a statement saying,

:05:09.:05:12.

we're not going to release a statement. They have wished everyone

:05:13.:05:16.

well this weekend, the Welsh women come Under 20s and the seniors

:05:17.:05:21.

tomorrow. But they will be releasing a full statement on Monday outlining

:05:22.:05:24.

their position, and we will wait with bated breath to hear what they

:05:25.:05:28.

have to say on Monday. For now we will go back to Phil Steele who I

:05:29.:05:34.

believe is with Rupert Moon. Yes, now general manager of rugby for

:05:35.:05:45.

ymru -- Cymru. Tell us about this great story.

:05:46.:05:52.

Yes, Harri Evans from Llandudno started off as a steward, that is

:05:53.:05:56.

the holistic approach to clear their element.

:05:57.:05:58.

From there to the pitch and it is fabulous. What will that do from

:05:59.:06:06.

rugby in this area to have two RGC boys playing?

:06:07.:06:10.

This is the oldest two members of the academy to be in the Under 20s.

:06:11.:06:13.

They will be inspiring the young people walking around the field

:06:14.:06:18.

igniting the flame in the brain and they have a chat is to get on the

:06:19.:06:22.

field themselves. RGC are doing and well themselves in the Championship,

:06:23.:06:25.

second behind portrayal. When you spoke to Scrum V last year

:06:26.:06:30.

you had a five-year plan. We are still on course, we were fortunate

:06:31.:06:34.

to get out of the Championship, it was a tough level of experience and

:06:35.:06:37.

we are playing a good level of rugby.

:06:38.:06:40.

We are learning the right to be in second place. Within five years we

:06:41.:06:43.

want to be in the Premiership, but we will have to earn that. The crowd

:06:44.:06:49.

are coming, and it is great to see over 5000 here again tonight. I know

:06:50.:06:52.

it is your birthday tomorrow, 46, many happy returns.

:06:53.:06:57.

Give us a prediction? Wales will win, it will be a tough

:06:58.:07:03.

second half, 25-13. There we are, Rupert Moon, 25 caps for Wales and

:07:04.:07:04.

that one. Here is the team to take the field

:07:05.:07:13.

against Italy tomorrow, the backline virtually picks itself. No done

:07:14.:07:16.

Davies, he switches to outside centre. Jamie Roberts is back after

:07:17.:07:22.

missing the open ice what test. The big question was picking Rhys

:07:23.:07:24.

Priestland. Justin to bridge has been selected

:07:25.:07:35.

on the side ahead of the captain, Sam Warburton, who is on the bench

:07:36.:07:37.

after recovering from that shoulder injury. -- Justin Tipuric. And we

:07:38.:07:51.

can now see Toby fallow doe, who now wants to be referred to as his

:07:52.:07:55.

official name, Tauleta. Just looking at the names on that

:07:56.:08:04.

list, it is a very powerful side, a fit side.

:08:05.:08:09.

The advantage we have nearly of the other team in the Six Nations, they

:08:10.:08:13.

know exact and what they want to do. There are no grey areas, they know

:08:14.:08:18.

their game plan. They have young, experienced backline because of

:08:19.:08:26.

injuries and that could have been an eye-opener for them. Warren Gatland

:08:27.:08:30.

does like Rhys Priestland away, he gets that backline moving.

:08:31.:08:34.

For me he is fantastic. We have generally got three

:08:35.:08:39.

international class outside half. Yet been outstanding for the

:08:40.:08:43.

Ospreys, he probably does bring a different attacking and bench --

:08:44.:08:48.

dimension, silly as the first to shout tomorrow and has to make the

:08:49.:08:50.

most of it. Sean Holley, you know Dan Biggar

:08:51.:08:54.

very well, it has he been hard done by?

:08:55.:08:58.

He has a little bit, but you always get the feeling that if Rhys

:08:59.:09:01.

Priestland hit any form Warren Gatland will pick him.

:09:02.:09:06.

He has been showing some real form so if he plays well tomorrow and

:09:07.:09:09.

Jonathan Davies comes through his cup game, a big selection dilemma

:09:10.:09:12.

for next week, who will be in the centre?

:09:13.:09:17.

We may well be looking at the next Rhys Priestland or Scott Williams,

:09:18.:09:23.

Wales are back out, the second half is about to get underway, so we will

:09:24.:09:26.

return to our commentary team, Rob Jones and Gareth Charles.

:09:27.:09:30.

Thank you very much, Ross. No changes during the interval.

:09:31.:09:37.

Interesting to see what adjustments the Welsh boys make in this second

:09:38.:09:48.

half. The statistics are showing in terms of possession and territory,

:09:49.:09:54.

they are pretty dominant, but still just a 2-point lead.

:09:55.:09:59.

Will the Italians be able to keep up this rearguard action and sneak

:10:00.:10:03.

their first ever win against Wales? Wales looking for another win after

:10:04.:10:17.

their successful campaign last year. Just as happened in the first-half,

:10:18.:10:21.

the team and that bottom left-hand corner in a great of trouble.

:10:22.:10:28.

He might have scored. Fantastic pressure, Dafydd Howells initially

:10:29.:10:34.

on the kick. Then having to make the tackle on Buscema. I am just

:10:35.:10:37.

wondering whether they got over on the ball, then they managed to get

:10:38.:10:38.

the ball down. Let's have a look, it depends what

:10:39.:11:03.

angles we have got. You just have a feeling that, I'm not sure who it

:11:04.:11:07.

was, it might have been Dafydd Howells coming in there. Here we

:11:08.:11:11.

are, Dafydd Howells going over the top comedy is on his feet. Does he

:11:12.:11:15.

get the ball and is it down? It is in a Welsh hand...

:11:16.:11:22.

Great tackle, and impose Dafydd Howells. -- and in goes. Dafydd

:11:23.:11:30.

Howells with the head guard on looked to have it.

:11:31.:11:33.

Is there an arm? Is there a leg? There are all kinds

:11:34.:11:37.

of questions to be answered. I think the problem here is again

:11:38.:11:41.

whether we have got the right camera angle.

:11:42.:11:44.

Great following up from Harri Evans. Fantastic tackle.

:11:45.:11:48.

That is the pressure on the kick to start with, then Harri Evans, the

:11:49.:11:51.

local boy. He has got that ball there.

:11:52.:11:56.

It is just whether he has got that ball down or not.

:11:57.:12:09.

That leg comes in the way just at the crucial moment. You can see that

:12:10.:12:12.

downward pressure. how is your French, Rob?

:12:13.:12:38.

! I could see that coming, because he shook his head. I don't

:12:39.:12:43.

understand a word of French. It just wasn't clear enough.

:12:44.:12:50.

But you want to start the second half well. And Wales have done that.

:12:51.:12:53.

Great chance here now. At least when Nigel Owens is the

:12:54.:13:09.

referee and Tim Hayes is the TMO, we have a fighting chance of

:13:10.:13:11.

understanding what they are seeing in Welsh!

:13:12.:13:16.

Yes, I will have to pick up a little bit more French in the coming years.

:13:17.:13:25.

I did have an all level in French, maybe that would have helped.

:13:26.:13:33.

A great position for Wales in the second half. Nobody in position on

:13:34.:13:37.

the blindside. They have to get the ball out and they do. James

:13:38.:13:38.

Benjamin. Tom Williams arrives, to Elliot Dee.

:13:39.:13:47.

Effective ball carrying by the Route 14 Scott Matthews. -- group

:13:48.:13:54.

one, four Scott Matthews. Stephan Howells still on his feet,

:13:55.:14:07.

he has done extremely well as the Welsh skipper.

:14:08.:14:11.

They did not need the inside ball that time, that is where the

:14:12.:14:15.

defenders were waiting. They did well to hold on to that.

:14:16.:14:22.

Tom Williams has bought himself. Benjamin ready to take over as a

:14:23.:14:23.

scrum-half. They just need to keep composed.

:14:24.:14:37.

They are not committing a huge number, if any, to the breakdown. It

:14:38.:14:41.

is only the tackle, really. That is a great hit by Derrick Appiah.

:14:42.:14:48.

But Wales recycle the ball again. Dafydd Howells. Great strength from

:14:49.:14:57.

Howells, almost got there a second time. Benjamin stopped just short of

:14:58.:15:01.

the line. Williams picks out Callum Lewis!

:15:02.:15:03.

So tantalisingly close. It all comes to nothing for Wales.

:15:04.:15:18.

Well, you can talk about... I think Wales -- Wales have to take into

:15:19.:15:22.

account they have to be a little bit tight. They have to get to the ruck

:15:23.:15:27.

little bit more, but credit to a fantastic Italian defence. It was

:15:28.:15:32.

not just the big hits, but the discipline, communication, their

:15:33.:15:36.

ability to plug all the gaps and Wade and close in.

:15:37.:15:42.

-- out wide. Once Callum Lewis is isolated of the

:15:43.:15:45.

managed to commit more players because the opportunity is there,

:15:46.:15:49.

great work. Did he have it in him to stretch out

:15:50.:15:51.

for the line? He held on a bit too long.

:15:52.:16:11.

Wales need to learn from that. Just over 3000 at Parc Eirias. Not a

:16:12.:16:15.

sell-out but it has been a horrible day. You work so hard to win

:16:16.:16:26.

possession. To get the ball downfield. And then you give it all

:16:27.:16:30.

away with a poor kick. The forwards have worked their socks off

:16:31.:16:36.

defensively there. Now they find themselves under pressure because of

:16:37.:16:37.

a loose cake by Buscema. -- kick. A slightly different approach from

:16:38.:17:17.

Wales. Keeping it little tighter. Can they finish it this time? There

:17:18.:17:43.

has been great scrambled defence by Italy on a number of occasions. He

:17:44.:17:55.

has carried well, hasn't he? They have dropped it. Again at the

:17:56.:18:02.

crucial moment, William Boyd could not hang on. Constant pressure from

:18:03.:18:09.

Wales. Great defensive work by the Italians. If they can keep

:18:10.:18:14.

frustrating Wales, they have a chance. I am just wondering if Wales

:18:15.:18:21.

can learn from not committing huge numbers to the breakdown. Owen

:18:22.:18:32.

Williams has joined us. It would be quicker getting home tonight and it

:18:33.:18:38.

will -- then it is walking from the dressing room to the commentary box!

:18:39.:18:47.

Gareth Jenkins, former Wales coach and former Welsh international here.

:18:48.:18:54.

This is your raison d'etre to night. Her impressive has this Prime

:18:55.:18:58.

Minister's Questions It is always a great pleasure to come to North

:18:59.:19:02.

Wales for these games. It is the third year now. It is a real

:19:03.:19:10.

international occasion. Congratulations to North Wales. This

:19:11.:19:16.

is a very important building block really for a future international

:19:17.:19:21.

rugby players. 80% of the current national team would have come

:19:22.:19:26.

through this programme. Every year it is always about the new talent

:19:27.:19:32.

and who the next generation of future international players and

:19:33.:19:36.

regional players will be. The system is working? Absolutely. It is a huge

:19:37.:19:47.

success. We will break off a minute while Wales attack.

:19:48.:19:53.

A chance to clear the decks again for Italy. So far it has been all

:19:54.:20:03.

Welsh pressure in the second half. Buscema living dangerously. Running

:20:04.:20:12.

into trouble. Support was on hand. They cannot get away from their own

:20:13.:20:24.

try line. Azzolini weights. -- awaits.

:20:25.:20:35.

It is relentless pressure from Wales. What they need below is an

:20:36.:20:54.

end product. -- what they need though. Changing the angle of

:20:55.:21:06.

attack, bringing in Ben Roach. They feel that they have to give sooner

:21:07.:21:15.

or later. A few metres short. A little bit of respite for Italy

:21:16.:21:22.

again. Yes, it is time and time again, isn't it? They are keeping

:21:23.:21:28.

their defensive discipline. When they are under huge pressure, they

:21:29.:21:32.

keep turning ball over. Good work by Appiah. Driving over.

:21:33.:21:45.

As Buscema put the ball out of play. We can rejoin Phil and Gareth

:21:46.:21:49.

Jenkins. The other interesting thing about

:21:50.:21:53.

this area of North Wales is there is a lot of talent here. This is where

:21:54.:22:00.

you found George North? Yes, he came from North Wales as a 16-year-old.

:22:01.:22:08.

We watched him play under 16. He was an outstanding talent. That talent

:22:09.:22:14.

has emerged into a world-class star and he is only a young man now.

:22:15.:22:19.

Anybody you have been impressed with out there tonight? Yes, there are

:22:20.:22:25.

always talented individuals. But more importantly, it is seeing these

:22:26.:22:31.

boys exposed to International Rugby Board this is different than the

:22:32.:22:35.

week in, week out these boys belong to. Most of these boys will be

:22:36.:22:41.

academy players. They will have been identified as potential regional

:22:42.:22:47.

players. There are a couple tonight who are not involved in academies.

:22:48.:22:51.

The good thing about this level of rugby is there is late entry. A

:22:52.:23:03.

quick prediction for tomorrow? I would have thought that Wales will

:23:04.:23:07.

be pretty comfortable tomorrow. I cannot see Italy doing anything

:23:08.:23:13.

except being competitive. They have a problem at halfback and we look

:23:14.:23:18.

strong across the selection. Thank you, Gareth. Former Welsh

:23:19.:23:27.

international. Thanks, Phil. The pressure is still

:23:28.:23:33.

coming on from the men in red. There are still some thumping tackles from

:23:34.:23:39.

the boys in blue. There are. Appiah has made half a dozen huge tackles

:23:40.:23:47.

throughout this game. It is good to see Dafydd Howells getting involved.

:23:48.:23:50.

We did not see him in the first half. He is looking for the ball.

:23:51.:23:57.

Sorry, that was not Appiah. That was one of the second rows. A big hit.

:23:58.:24:13.

Elliot Dee is leaving the field. Scott often comes on to replace him.

:24:14.:24:20.

-- Scott Otten. The Welsh boys need a little bit of composure. You need

:24:21.:24:29.

the halfbacks to slow the ball down, bring the forwards together and make

:24:30.:24:33.

the hard yards. Ten minutes of constant pressure from Wales has not

:24:34.:24:40.

yielded a try but it has resulted in the first three points of the second

:24:41.:24:48.

half from Davies. I think Wales should pick and drive through the

:24:49.:24:54.

ruck and the Kell Brook. Everything is moving probably two passes away.

:24:55.:25:02.

They have got numbers out there. -- bowl.

:25:03.:25:13.

Michieletto is leaving. Scalvi is on for the final half hour.

:25:14.:25:32.

You would have thought that this will take its toll on Italy by the

:25:33.:25:42.

end. Yes, you would have thought so. They have worked so hard.

:25:43.:25:51.

That would be disappointing for Italy, having got themselves into

:25:52.:26:05.

the Welsh 22 for the first time in the second half. They immediately

:26:06.:26:06.

lose possession. Italy happy to scramble the ball off

:26:07.:26:37.

the park. They did well to get back there. There was a lot of space. It

:26:38.:26:47.

was a good little kick from Steffan Hughes in the first place. Good

:26:48.:26:58.

pressure from Tom Williams. He made the kick and the clearance so

:26:59.:27:01.

difficult for the Italian outside half.

:27:02.:27:09.

Wales get the drive on. A good shape to that driving line-out. Scott

:27:10.:27:21.

Matthews leaves it to Williams. In the end, the tackle.

:27:22.:27:37.

Slow ball this time. They will need the forwards to take it up. Ready to

:27:38.:27:51.

do some more hard graft and carrying.

:27:52.:28:07.

Wales camped in Italian territory. Again, so close.

:28:08.:28:24.

Tom Williams dives underneath! In the end, the tribe had to come. It

:28:25.:28:37.

is James Benjamin, the number eight, who get it eventually. Great

:28:38.:28:46.

pressure from Wales. James Benjamin, just reward for all of the Welsh

:28:47.:28:53.

pressure. Elliot Dee, Scott Matthews, James Benjamin and Tom

:28:54.:28:59.

Williams have been very sharp. Constantly crossing the gain line.

:29:00.:29:04.

Carrying well. Good football amongst the four of them. One of them

:29:05.:29:13.

deserved a score. The defenders were focusing on the ball. Then they

:29:14.:29:16.

moved away and looked at the referee. At that instant, Benjamin

:29:17.:29:25.

dives over. A conversion from Ethan Davies. The scoreboard has a better

:29:26.:29:31.

look about it now. They just went a little bit closer to the fringes.

:29:32.:29:36.

Tom Williams made the initial break. They have been patient. No rush.

:29:37.:29:41.

Kept the ball. A clinical finish from Benjamin. He has been very

:29:42.:29:53.

impressive. OK, an element of luck there, but which was he has got

:29:54.:29:56.

football in him. He has got footwork, he is

:29:57.:29:59.

powerful, great handling skills, as well.

:30:00.:30:05.

Italy, ringing the changes. They see the game slowly slipping

:30:06.:30:12.

away from them. There is no holding back on the

:30:13.:30:34.

tackles from either side and he has stayed down. -- Di Giulio has stayed

:30:35.:30:40.

down. Not too many options behind for

:30:41.:30:50.

Italy, and that is a poor kick in the end. That was poor. All from the

:30:51.:30:59.

pressure of the Welsh defence, who had great line speed.

:31:00.:31:01.

They have just forced Italy back with nowhere to go. It forced them

:31:02.:31:06.

into a poor kick. Really impressed with the defence tonight, plenty of

:31:07.:31:09.

energy, they are all working together and have defended really

:31:10.:31:12.

well. The stats are incredible, even more

:31:13.:31:19.

than we thought, 78% possession and 90% territory in the 16 minutes that

:31:20.:31:21.

we have had. Great vision, OK, not where he

:31:22.:31:33.

wanted it to go, but it ended up in the hands of a Welsh player. It is

:31:34.:31:37.

just having the confidence and the footballing skill to do it. Yes,

:31:38.:31:43.

took the ball from under Tom Williams's knows, really, but took

:31:44.:31:46.

the responsibility, even though he was so close to a lot of defenders

:31:47.:31:50.

around him, but he knew where the try line was.

:31:51.:31:57.

Dragons have good prospects in that back row.

:31:58.:32:00.

Defensively, very explosive. We have spoken about Benjamin might, but

:32:01.:32:06.

you'd prospects for the Dragons. That pass was like Williams. Or like

:32:07.:32:09.

Justin Tipuric! Just losing possession a little bit

:32:10.:32:42.

too easily, and disappointed with themselves.

:32:43.:32:49.

Wales look a bit more confident now. I think there were frustrated early

:32:50.:32:55.

on in this half. It is always difficult when the

:32:56.:33:01.

Italians are more than two scores than commit deflates you a little

:33:02.:33:05.

bit. You look at the scoreboard with 20 minutes to go and know you are a

:33:06.:33:10.

long way behind. They will be deflated and Wales need to keep the

:33:11.:33:14.

food on them. Wales have obviously dominated

:33:15.:33:17.

territory and possession, but they have looked so much more dangerous.

:33:18.:33:21.

Italy come on the occasions they have had possession, have not looked

:33:22.:33:25.

threatening at all. There is a bit of a reflection of

:33:26.:33:31.

the main team in it, really, very strong up front, very organised

:33:32.:33:36.

defensively. Exactly, tomorrow I think they will be competitive for a

:33:37.:33:39.

long time in the game and Wales have to be patient.

:33:40.:33:42.

You would see the quality should come through, particularly on both

:33:43.:33:44.

backplanes. -- bike lines. I think it will be quite a

:33:45.:33:55.

comfortable win tomorrow, to be honest. Wales have not been together

:33:56.:34:01.

for a while, but... We always start slow for some reason, I don't know

:34:02.:34:05.

why. But, yes, I think it is a settled

:34:06.:34:09.

team. As I have learned a few times in the

:34:10.:34:16.

past, never underestimate bitterly. -- Italy.

:34:17.:34:22.

And a chance for Byron Hayward to have a look at more squad players in

:34:23.:34:26.

a second. A couple more replacements, Connor

:34:27.:34:54.

Lloyd and Scott Andrews. I have been impressed with the Welsh

:34:55.:34:58.

scrum, even though there are giving away six stone they are holding

:34:59.:35:02.

their own. They are a big side, but the Welsh

:35:03.:35:08.

pack has done really well. Tom Williams has been very lively, very

:35:09.:35:16.

sharp. Yes, Robert Jones- esque.

:35:17.:35:26.

A nice little show and go from Sebastian Negri.

:35:27.:35:34.

Buscema looking for a bit of space for his winger, but just a little

:35:35.:35:38.

bit too close to the touchline. Maybe they would be better keeping

:35:39.:35:53.

the ball in play, the Welsh my notes have gone reasonably well.

:35:54.:35:56.

-- Welsh line-outs. The replacements combining, Scott to

:35:57.:36:19.

the floor, and Scott Andrews is the line-out provider. And there is

:36:20.:36:22.

another one, the scrum-half, Connor Lloyd. -- Scott Orden is the floor.

:36:23.:36:31.

-- Scott Otten with the throw. I did not get cramp at that age, did

:36:32.:36:49.

you? It is interesting talking to get in

:36:50.:36:56.

-- Gethin Jenkins about the Under 20s, it is all about giving young

:36:57.:36:59.

players an opportunity and developing a squad for the World

:37:00.:37:04.

Cup, and that is very much what Byron Hayward will be doing this

:37:05.:37:09.

year. Markey, a lot of substitute coming

:37:10.:37:13.

on now, but this is probably something you have to do every year?

:37:14.:37:17.

This is a very intense season for the boys.

:37:18.:37:21.

It is vitally important for us to develop strength and depth in these

:37:22.:37:25.

positions, particularly in the World Cup with a four-day tournament.

:37:26.:37:29.

It is vital we have boys ready to come off the rack to play rugby.

:37:30.:37:34.

These initial two or three games you will see a lot of the rotation of

:37:35.:37:38.

the team to make sure you can go to that intense competition of the

:37:39.:37:42.

World Cup. Are you pleased so far? Yes, a lot better in the second

:37:43.:37:45.

half, a lot of possession and some points on the board.

:37:46.:37:50.

I should tell you before we can't back to you that Sam Warburton has

:37:51.:37:53.

tweeted Martyn Williams's second name. He now has 150,000 followers.

:37:54.:38:02.

There is just no respect from these youngsters.

:38:03.:38:12.

REFEREE: Number seven, come down please.

:38:13.:38:21.

That was that line speed again from the Welsh team, some fantastic work.

:38:22.:38:31.

As we said at half-time, there is a contrast between what we see in the

:38:32.:38:35.

Under 20s and what we know Wales will play tomorrow and for the rest

:38:36.:38:38.

of the tournament, as they have done for the last two years. The

:38:39.:38:42.

attacking has been different, defence has been very similar,

:38:43.:38:46.

getting off the line very quickly. It is interesting to see the

:38:47.:38:51.

contrast. Different sorts of players in both teams, so Byron Hayward is

:38:52.:38:55.

obviously playing what he thinks are their strengths.

:38:56.:39:11.

Will Boyde being replaced by Leigh Griffiths. -- Ollie Griffiths.

:39:12.:39:27.

Nice little half break and flick out from Ethan Davies. Ollie Griffiths

:39:28.:39:36.

straight in on the action and making quite an impression. Also managing

:39:37.:39:41.

to stay on the right side of the whitewash.

:39:42.:39:59.

Steffan Hughes has been leading by example in the second half, the

:40:00.:40:06.

Welsh skipper. Taking the game to Italy and supporting well. Harri

:40:07.:40:07.

Evans showing up well, as well. Matthews has an extremely well to

:40:08.:40:16.

create something out of nothing for Ben Roach.

:40:17.:40:21.

Years of his feet. I don't think he was supporting his

:40:22.:40:29.

own body weight there, but he has got away with it. He has got that

:40:30.:40:34.

wrong, he was on his knees, basically.

:40:35.:40:40.

REFEREE: You are not releasing the ball, free kick.

:40:41.:40:47.

Thank you, number four. I didn't think Ben Roach thought

:40:48.:40:50.

there was a problem, the same as we thought.

:40:51.:40:57.

Perhaps we are doing him an injustice. You can see his legs off

:40:58.:41:06.

the ground. Initially he is OK. He is floating in midair!

:41:07.:41:13.

A big round of applause for Ethan Davies.

:41:14.:41:20.

He has played well, mixed it up pretty well tonight. A good kicking

:41:21.:41:28.

game. Again, the Dragons have a bit of

:41:29.:41:31.

depth coming through, haven't the? In a year or so, these guys could

:41:32.:41:36.

well feature regularly at the Dragons.

:41:37.:41:46.

And it is changes all-round, because the new scrum-half has come on,

:41:47.:41:53.

which means the previous one has gone to fullback, it was the winger

:41:54.:42:02.

who came off. Simone Parisotto's first free kick easily fielded by

:42:03.:42:10.

Steffan Hughes. Straight out. He was not happy with that.

:42:11.:42:27.

Just going through a little quiet period at the moment for Wales, but

:42:28.:42:35.

they have done the hard work. They have really upped the tempo in that

:42:36.:42:38.

third quarter and got the reward, which has given them the breathing

:42:39.:42:44.

space. With all the changes, as well, it is bound to disrupt the

:42:45.:42:49.

patterns. It is important to give these boys gametime, as well. Great

:42:50.:42:52.

tackle again by Scott Matthews. That one was a real hospital pass

:42:53.:42:57.

for Lazzaroni. Really impressive.

:42:58.:43:14.

The pressure they are putting on. That is 40 metres they have sent

:43:15.:43:18.

them back now. It is the first ball receiver, the

:43:19.:43:21.

target him and run hard, quickly, pressurising. They were all in

:43:22.:43:28.

there. Scott Matthews, scored the chop tackle.

:43:29.:43:28.

He is not going anywhere here. It was interesting talking to Rhys

:43:29.:43:40.

Priestland earlier in the week when the Under 20s were training in the

:43:41.:43:45.

barn one-day, a player wandered in and this they said, wait until

:43:46.:43:50.

tomorrow when we are training with you. I used to love those sessions,

:43:51.:43:56.

the 20-year-old is full of enthusiasm on Tuesday morning.

:43:57.:43:59.

It is invaluable for the preparation, but as you get

:44:00.:44:04.

older... It is invaluable preparation for these guys, as well,

:44:05.:44:05.

what an opportunity. Well, the tacklers have been reining

:44:06.:44:16.

in on both sides, there is no letup, to be fair.

:44:17.:44:21.

It is not good enough any more to make a tackle. It is all about

:44:22.:44:25.

winning that game, it is so physical. You take your hat off to

:44:26.:44:31.

these guys for full on commitment. In my days it was use the momentum

:44:32.:44:34.

of the ball carrier to get him to the deck.

:44:35.:44:36.

Get your arms to his legs and allow him to fall. As long as you went to

:44:37.:44:42.

ground, most people were happy, but now it is all about the game line.

:44:43.:44:47.

The impacts in the tackle, these big men can it really is so physical

:44:48.:44:50.

these days. I am glad we are up now Rob. I have

:44:51.:44:52.

been up here a long time! That was a very good Welsh scrum.

:44:53.:45:52.

The scrum coach will be very happy tonight. Technically, very strong.

:45:53.:45:59.

They will probably get stronger as well. They have got some second rows

:46:00.:46:04.

to come back. They will be given an opportunity. The aggressive nature

:46:05.:46:20.

both ball carrying and defensively has been fantastic. They have set

:46:21.:46:22.

down a marker tonight. They have. Luke Price pushes the ball wide. You

:46:23.:47:00.

do not see that very often. These guys spend a lot of time on the

:47:01.:47:07.

training field. Give him a little bit of an excuse, the wind has

:47:08.:47:21.

picked up. It would be nice to score a few more tries.

:47:22.:48:03.

I would like to see them go to the corner now. Good decision.

:48:04.:48:32.

I think that sums up what Martin just said, the wind picking. --

:48:33.:48:45.

picking up. It looks as if it is blustering.

:48:46.:48:57.

You cannot use the wind if you had -- if you haven't got any ball.

:48:58.:49:07.

Benjamin Leung, almost tipping the scales at 20 stone. Wales have used

:49:08.:49:22.

all of their replacements. The biggest cheer of the night for Harri

:49:23.:49:31.

Evans, the local boy. He has been very good. Very direct. Constantly

:49:32.:49:36.

breaking tackles. He has looked sharp. He has been impressive. Mark

:49:37.:49:42.

Taylor spoke about him beforehand and thought that he had a bright

:49:43.:49:46.

future. On the evidence of what we have seen tonight, I think he is

:49:47.:49:53.

right. Both local boys. Afon Bagshaw has been strong as well. It is great

:49:54.:49:59.

to see some local players coming through again. A half decent player

:50:00.:50:15.

in his day, Mark Taylor. Yes, he was all right!

:50:16.:50:30.

That would be frustrating for Byron Hayward. They have got to get the

:50:31.:50:34.

set pieces right in key areas. Eventually Italy lose possession.

:50:35.:51:51.

They go back to the initial not gone which will give them the scrum.

:51:52.:52:14.

While there is a break in play, let's hear some views from Sean

:52:15.:52:21.

Holley. Yes, lots of good performances

:52:22.:52:27.

tonight from Elliot Dee in particular. And Tom Williams. It is

:52:28.:52:33.

nice to see a young Welsh nine chasing things down. When he has had

:52:34.:52:38.

a chance, he has had a little run. He set up a second try for Wales.

:52:39.:52:49.

Robert Jones, what is your decision on the man of the match? Yes, Tom

:52:50.:52:56.

Williams has certainly been in the mix. His service has been good. But

:52:57.:53:01.

my man of the match is number seven, Scott Matthews. He probably just

:53:02.:53:07.

pips James Benjamin. His work at the breakdown, his ability to cross the

:53:08.:53:10.

gain line. He has been very impressive. We have seen him make

:53:11.:53:16.

the tackles, take people down straightaway, do not give them

:53:17.:53:26.

momentum. And he gets just a recognition from

:53:27.:53:28.

the crowd for his efforts. The Cross flanker. Five tries in 15

:53:29.:53:41.

games for his club. It has been an excellent defensive

:53:42.:54:05.

effort from Wales as well. 30-23 a couple of years ago was the

:54:06.:54:46.

closest that Italy have got to Wales. Scott Matthews was in there.

:54:47.:54:56.

But you have got to listen to the referee. He did say hands. You have

:54:57.:55:01.

got to get away. You have got to keep your discipline. He has been

:55:02.:55:07.

fantastic at the breakdown. He is leading at the defensive work.

:55:08.:55:12.

Putting huge pressure on ten will stop --. That was so disappointing

:55:13.:55:20.

from an Italian point of view. They have had precious little opportunity

:55:21.:55:26.

and that one was wasted. Phil... Yes, a couple of regions in action

:55:27.:55:31.

tonight. Blues have beaten Scarlets. And the ospreys are trailing 36, 27

:55:32.:55:44.

to sail. With due respect to Martin Elwyn, I did not give Rupert Moon

:55:45.:55:54.

his full credit. His full name is Rupert Selwyn Barker moan. -- moon.

:55:55.:56:26.

Well, well, well. Exactly the same place it ends up. Alexander Troncon

:56:27.:56:37.

has his head in his hands. It must be hugely frustrating. There he is.

:56:38.:56:44.

Not a happy chappie. It is the little things. You cannot fault the

:56:45.:56:58.

effort. With the amount of ball that Wales have had, you would have

:56:59.:57:03.

expected them to win by 40 or 50 points. And they probably would have

:57:04.:57:12.

done if it wasn't for the Italian defensive effort.

:57:13.:57:23.

The ball probably travelled forward because of the momentum. It was

:57:24.:57:35.

marginal. It is all about the hands these days. Which position at the

:57:36.:57:43.

hands in? I would love to have seen Dafydd Howells have some more ball.

:57:44.:57:47.

He does look very sharp. He is light on his feet but he is strong as

:57:48.:57:51.

well. Hopefully we will see more of him as this tournament goes on. The

:57:52.:57:58.

laws of physics baffle me on that one as well.

:57:59.:58:06.

It will be a long old journey back to Cardiff tonight. It will be an

:58:07.:58:13.

even longer journey home for Alexander Troncon. There has been a

:58:14.:58:18.

lot of fight from this Italian team but not enough quality in the end.

:58:19.:58:22.

The Welsh boys have had plenty of both. They have had to work hard for

:58:23.:58:30.

their victory. They have had to stick at it, the first out in

:58:31.:58:34.

particular. There was a lot of attacking intent, a lot of good

:58:35.:58:36.

approach work with very little end result. But they have taken their

:58:37.:58:43.

chances. And the one chance in the second half, James Benjamin, to add

:58:44.:58:48.

to the early try of Joshua Adams. That will see them home. The final

:58:49.:59:03.

play of the game now. And Italy, as they have been from most of the

:59:04.:59:07.

game, certainly most of the second half, in their own territory. They

:59:08.:59:19.

will have two run it and try to salvage something from their visit

:59:20.:59:27.

to Parc Eirias. They want to go for a scrum. I said they were quite

:59:28.:59:40.

powerful in the scrum. They are enjoying themselves! It is good to

:59:41.:59:45.

see. So will the belts Management. -- the Welsh management.

:59:46.:59:59.

Ireland under 20 have beaten the Scots enough alone. That is where

:00:00.:00:10.

Wales have to go next week. That will be some contest. Ireland always

:00:11.:00:12.

strong at this level. Wales looking to end with a third

:00:13.:00:35.

try. Still keeping ball. Still thumping away at this Italian

:00:36.:00:42.

defence. They would love the local boy, Bagshaw, to get on the

:00:43.:00:44.

scoresheet. He is doing his best. Dafydd Howells crosses over! And

:00:45.:01:13.

Wales, right at the very end, do get a third try. That is the icing on

:01:14.:01:19.

the cake. Dafydd Howells makes it an emphatic start for Wales. Fantastic

:01:20.:01:31.

work. Right at the death. Still more than prepared to keep the ball

:01:32.:01:32.

alive. He has just taken it away from the

:01:33.:01:44.

touchline and uses his strength to get across. Certainly the second

:01:45.:01:47.

party has been far more involved and looks dangerous. Great passing

:01:48.:01:54.

fairness from Luke Price. It put him into a bit of space. From start to

:01:55.:02:00.

finish, Wales have worked their socks off. Great fitness, great

:02:01.:02:05.

power, great pace, good temple in their game, and Byron Hayward

:02:06.:02:08.

overall I think we'll be delighted with what he has seen tonight. -- I

:02:09.:02:17.

think will be delighted. Luke Price, from the right-hand side

:02:18.:02:23.

touchline. To round off the evening for Wales.

:02:24.:02:30.

Has he drawn it in the enough? Not quite. Just outside, but that

:02:31.:02:38.

doesn't matter, that does not take any of the gloss off of the Welsh

:02:39.:02:42.

performance, and the scoreline come eventually, a reflection of the way

:02:43.:02:49.

the game had gone for Wales. They dominated throughout and eventually

:02:50.:02:54.

wore down a very determined Italian defence. They got three tries to

:02:55.:02:58.

nil, did not concede a single point in the second half and after coming

:02:59.:03:05.

so close to glory last year and in the World Championship, the Welsh

:03:06.:03:10.

Under 20s have got this year's Six Nations campaign off to an excellent

:03:11.:03:13.

start. Byron Hayward and his team could not

:03:14.:03:20.

have asked much more than that. Not too much offered in terms of attack

:03:21.:03:24.

from Italy, but certainly they gave it all in defence and Wales had to

:03:25.:03:28.

keep them calm and composed and that is what they did. And eventually

:03:29.:03:35.

their class told and Steffan Hughes will lead off a victorious Welsh

:03:36.:03:41.

team. That is an excellent start to the Six Nations for them. Wales

:03:42.:03:45.

Under 20s have beaten their Italian counterparts by 26 points-9.

:03:46.:03:51.

In the end, three tries in all, Joshua Adams crossing the first half

:03:52.:03:59.

after some slick backplate from his three quarters. Then James Benjamin

:04:00.:04:02.

capping a fine individual performance with a try of his own

:04:03.:04:06.

just after half-time. Then Dafydd Howells, the Wales cap, putting a

:04:07.:04:13.

gloss on the stalling with this third try deep in injury time, 26-9

:04:14.:04:19.

the final score here at Eirias Park. We can go straight down to Phil

:04:20.:04:23.

Steele with the captain. Steffan Hughes, many congratulations on the

:04:24.:04:26.

win, your first as captain. How pleasing was it? Yes, it was

:04:27.:04:30.

very pleasing. There were a lot of things we worked

:04:31.:04:34.

on in the week that we managed to get into the game and is great to

:04:35.:04:37.

get off to a good start. I am proud of the effort the boys made. We have

:04:38.:04:42.

some work to do by next week but I am really pleased. You are now one

:04:43.:04:45.

of the old heads in the side, how pleased were you the youngsters?

:04:46.:04:50.

They were fantastic, there is a great group of youngsters there and

:04:51.:04:53.

they showed what they can do, and hopefully we can make it further

:04:54.:04:54.

into the tournament. It will be a bit different next week

:04:55.:05:02.

in Athlone. Really excited to go out next week.

:05:03.:05:08.

I am sure your parent club is very proud of you, well done.

:05:09.:05:10.

And here is the man of the match, Scott.

:05:11.:05:17.

Italy were quite a tough nut to crack in the first half. We knew

:05:18.:05:21.

they were going to be physical as the first half was really tough.

:05:22.:05:24.

We knew it was good to be hard, the second half we knew we would do

:05:25.:05:29.

well. Add more of the same next week needed against Ireland?

:05:30.:05:32.

I hope so. Well done, great performance.

:05:33.:05:38.

Have you ever wondered how Warren Gatland relaxes away from rugby?

:05:39.:05:46.

Find out next on Sport Wales. And Italy's talisman reveals all ahead

:05:47.:05:49.

of the big match. Tomorrow, Colin jumps into the Time

:05:50.:05:52.

Machine for Scrum V classics, where we find post grand slam Wales in a

:05:53.:05:59.

spot of bother. Then it is the main event - Wales

:06:00.:06:04.

begin their defence on their Six Nations crown against Italy in

:06:05.:06:12.

Cardiff on BBC Wales and S4C. He has had a shocker, hasn't he?

:06:13.:06:17.

And on Sunday we will have all of the post-match reaction and opinion.

:06:18.:06:22.

Next week it is Ryan Jones's turn to reminisce as we reflect on a Triple

:06:23.:06:27.

Crown winning performance. And then next Friday week travelled

:06:28.:06:33.

to Athlone, where Wales Under 20s continue their Six Nations campaign

:06:34.:06:36.

against the men in green. Steffan Hughes and the gap is

:06:37.:06:37.

there! So much to look forward to in the

:06:38.:06:47.

next week on BBC television, and back to tonight's game, Steffan

:06:48.:06:52.

Hughes very satisfied. Perhaps the scoreline did not reflect Wales's

:06:53.:06:58.

superiority but that is job done, isn't it to my two yes, they tried

:06:59.:07:04.

to play rugby, very impressed with the back row, very dynamic and they

:07:05.:07:07.

thoroughly deserved the win. I was impressed with the defence, as

:07:08.:07:11.

well, their speed and energy, really solid and stopping Italy from

:07:12.:07:16.

fleeing. They know there are tougher challenges ahead but you could not

:07:17.:07:19.

ask for more from them. Sean Holley, it was an impressive back

:07:20.:07:23.

row performance come efficient in the breakdown and some great

:07:24.:07:25.

footballers in Scott Matthews and James Benjamin.

:07:26.:07:29.

Yes, in this team, the back row was good, the front row was good, the

:07:30.:07:33.

midfield was good, but you just sense in the boiler house they need

:07:34.:07:37.

physicality upfront, two big second rows to back up the rest of the

:07:38.:07:41.

team. Let's hope they get some injuries

:07:42.:07:45.

back in the following weeks. Let's turn our attention to the main event

:07:46.:07:48.

tomorrow. Nobody seems to be giving Italy a

:07:49.:07:53.

chance at all. Is there any danger of overconfidence going into this

:07:54.:07:58.

one? I don't think so. If it was in Rome you would be

:07:59.:08:03.

concerned, but in Cardiff with a full house, the boys were much be

:08:04.:08:07.

complacent. They could be the first team ever to

:08:08.:08:11.

win a third title in a row and that will drive them forward. I think

:08:12.:08:14.

Warren Gatland has been very clever, as he always is, he has given a few

:08:15.:08:17.

senior players some remainders this week. I don't think there will be

:08:18.:08:24.

any complacency at all. Score prediction? I think we will

:08:25.:08:26.

win by 20 points. It will be tough, similar to

:08:27.:08:30.

tonight, but I think eventually we will have too much firepower and

:08:31.:08:37.

cutting edge behind. Very bold. Thanks for your company tonight,

:08:38.:08:39.

Martyn Williams, that is about all we have time here from North Wales.

:08:40.:08:45.

Tomorrow all attention will be focused on South Wales, Cardiff

:08:46.:08:49.

playing host to the main event, Wales versus Italy. Warren Gatland

:08:50.:08:54.

is going in search of history, after their third consecutive Six Nations

:08:55.:08:58.

title. It all begins against Italy, the coverage is on BBC One from two

:08:59.:09:03.

BM, sport Wales is next from us. Good night. -- coverage from two

:09:04.:09:08.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS