Wales lost in agonising fashion as Michela Sillari kept up her 100% kicking record in the 80th minute.
Seconds before, Wales had at last taken the lead as the pack grew stronger and stronger. Italy crumpled and Keira Bevan pounced to make the score 10-8.
One more error and another game had gone awry.
Italy have a good record in Wales, this win being their sixth. But Wales achieved their main goal, to qualify for tier-1 in next year’s WXV. On this showing they will have to make some urgent progress.
The number 10 shirt has been a recurrent problem this season. Now Elinor Snowsill was discarded completely, and Robyn Wilkins took her place again. But her kicking just wasn’t accurate enough, denying her pack the forward momentum they deserved. Lleucu George brought more vigour when she came on, but she too sent an inaccurate kick straight into touch to put the defence under pressure again. It proved costly.
The first half was full of action but almost completely devoid of scores. Alisha Butchers made an early break down the middle, but the support arrived too late to prevent a ‘holding on’ verdict.
Then a nice Italian move was halted only by a final forward pass.
The Welsh pack got on top at the scrum, but in open play they fell foul of the whistle. First Wilkins saw yellow for a high tackle on Beatrice Rigoni, then moments later Sioned Harries joined her. That was Amber McLachlan’s fourth card in two games. 13 v 15!
What followed was a sad commentary on Italian game management. They hammered away at the Welsh line, quite oblivious of the backs waiting out behind totally unmarked. The defensive line too could draw in towards the ball, sensing it was never going to be thrown wide. Sure enough, the Azzurre were penalised three metres from the line after umpteen phases.
They did far better just before the interval, when it was 15 v 15 again. A lovely fluent movement saw Sara Barattin take the final pass and reach over the line a fraction of a second before Butchers lurched her back the other way.
Half-time 0-7
For a third time Wales would have to come from behind. It was a surprise to see Siwan Lillicrap replaced, but she had been unwell and had nothing left in the tank.
Now at last the red shirts remembered they had Jasmine Joyce on the field. She saw far more of the ball, though not all of it was on the front foot. She had plenty of scrambling to do.
Melissa Bettoni, who has had a magnificent series, was nearly over the line, but her team-mates couldn’t finish the job.
On 54 minutes George replaced Kerin Lake and Wilkins moved out to the centre. At once the backs produced two miss-passes to set Joyce going. Why not at the start of the game?
Wales created more chances that failed close to the line, and it was only in the 70th minute that Wilkins scored the first points with a penalty. (3-7)
They won another good position, but, as so often, the line-out throw wasn’t straight. The pack was enjoying itself at the scrum and in the loose, but the Italians too were adept at slowing, blocking or winning ball at the breakdown.
The big moment came with five minutes to go – that Bevan try. All Wales rejoiced, but what did that coach say about the follow-up to an important score? Something about ‘squeaky clean’? They forgot the advice, made errors and paid heavily with that Sillari kick.
But this remained a highly significant game for Wales; though they gained only a losing bonus point, they were safe in third position.
Ioan Cunningham and his staff now know precisely what needs to be done. Whether the current squad can provide it is another matter. The contracts will certainly help the cause, but there needs to be more competition for key positions.
The pack did thoroughly well at the set-scrum, but the line-out was as iffy as ever, and far too often the first receiver took the ball from a standing start. At this level that sort of weakness is hard to understand.
Result: Wales 8 Italy 10
Player of the Match: Alex Callender
Teams
Wales:
15 Niamh Terry (Exeter Chiefs), 14 Lisa Neumann (Gloucester-Hartpury), 13 Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), 12 Kerin Lake (Gloucester- Hartpury), 11 Jasmine Joyce (Bristol Bears), 10 Robyn Wilkins (Gloucester- Hartpury), 9 Ffion Lewis (Worcester Warriors), 1 Cara Hope (Gloucester- Hartpury), 2 Kelsey Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), 3 Donna Rose (Saracens), 4 Siwan Lillicrap (captain, Bristol Bears), 5 Gwen Crabb (Gloucester-Hartpury), 6 Alisha Butchers (Bristol Bears), 7 Alex Callender (Worcester Warriors), 8 Sioned Harries (Worcester Warriors)
Bench:
16 Carys Phillips (Worcester Warriors), 17 Caryl Thomas (Worcester Warriors), 18 Cerys Hale (Gloucester-Hartpury), 19 Natalia John (Bristol Bears), 20 Bethan Lewis (Gloucester-Hartpury), 21 Keira Bevan (Bristol Bears), 22 Lleucu George (Gloucester-Hartpury), 23 Kayleigh Powell (Bristol Bears)
Italy:
15 Manuela Furlan (captain, 85 caps), 14 Aura Muzzo (23 caps), 13 Michela Sillari (66 caps), 12 Beatrice Rigoni (53 caps), 11.Maria Magatti (42 caps), 10 Veronica Madia (29 caps), 9 Sara Barattin (105 caps), 1 Silvia Turani (17 caps), 2 Melissa Bettoni (68 caps), 3 Lucia Gai (80 caps), 4 Valeria Fedrighi (32 caps), 5 Giordana Duca (27 caps), 6 Beatrice Veronese (10 caps), 7 Ilaria Arrighetti (52 caps), 8 Elisa Giordano (captain, 52 caps)
Bench:
16 Vittoria Vecchini (7 caps), 17 Gaia Maris (9 caps), 18 Sara Seye (5 caps), 19 Sara Tounesi (22 caps), 20 Isabella Locatelli (32 caps), 21 Francesca Granzotto (uncapped), 22 Alyssa D’Inca (7 caps), 23 Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi (13 caps)
Officials:
Referee: Amber McLachlan (RA)
ARs: Aurélie Groizeleau (FFR) and Maria Latos (DRB) TMO: Claire Hodnett (RFU)
with thanks to rugbyreferee.net
Afterthought
How much longer till all 23 of Wales’ squad will be playing in an elite league in Wales? And certain English clubs will have to hunt around for English replacements (or in one case captains of overseas nations)?
