Italy stun reigning Six Nations champions Wales with historic victory in Cardiff

Wales ended their Guinness Six Nations marketing campaign with a humiliating defeat as Italy shocked them 22-21 on the Principality Stadium.

Last season’s champions had hoped to offer milestone males Dan Biggar and Alun Wyn Jones a day to recollect.

Skipper Biggar grew to become the seventh Welshman to gather 100 caps, whereas Jones clocked up 150 Wales appearances, making him the primary participant in worldwide rugby union historical past to achieve that determine.

The second Italy have been ready 7⃣ years for 🙌#GuinnessSixNations | #WALvITA pic.twitter.com/7BLiA9EI1Z

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 19, 2022

But the script was torn up by an Italian facet that claimed a primary Six Nations victory for seven years that ended a run of 36 successive losses within the competitors.

It was additionally their first triumph on Welsh soil and ended a run of 16 successive defeats to final season’s Six Nations champions.

Italy clinched a spectacular triumph a minute from time when full-back Ange Capuozzo attacked from inside his personal half, and Edoardo Padovani claimed a attempt that Paolo Garbisi transformed to spark wild scenes of Azzurri celebration.

Padovani had earlier kicked two penalties and Garbisi three as Wales had been grounded regardless of good circumstances and superb sunshine in Cardiff.

Owen Watkin, Dewi Lake and Josh Adams scored tries for Wales, with Biggar changing all three, however it’ll go down as one of many darkest days of their historical past after shedding to the common Six Nations wooden-spoonists.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac made seven modifications following a slim defeat in opposition to France final day out, together with a primary Test begin for hooker Lake, whereas full-back Johnny McNicholl, centre Uilisi Halaholo and prop Dillon Lewis had been additionally amongst these known as up.

Italy made a brilliant begin, with wing Monty Ioane placing early defensive strain on McNicholl, and it took Wales 10 minutes earlier than they might set up any type of threatening place contained in the Azzurri’s 22.

But that chance was wasted after Lake, making his first Test begin, overthrew an attacking lineout and Italy launched possession again downfield earlier than Garbisi booted a 48-metre penalty to open the scoring.

Padovani then doubled Italy’s benefit, matching Garbisi’s long-range strike, and there was a glance of lethargy about Wales, underlined when wing Louis Rees-Zammit spilled a scoring move from McNicholl.

Halaholo then adopted go well with by dropping the ball following a robust Rees-Zammit break, which ended a dismal opening quarter for final season’s Six Nations champions.

Wales lastly stirred 12 minutes earlier than half-time, with Watkin making use of a high-class end following spectacular strategy work by Rees-Zammit and his fellow wing Adams, earlier than Biggar’s conversion made it 7-6.

But the lead was short-lived, as Wales’ poor self-discipline allowed Italy probabilities from distance, and Garbisi and Padovani every kicked penalties from distance throughout a three-minute spell, giving Italy a five-point benefit.

Wales proved to be their very own worst enemies, coughing up possession by way of poor dealing with and positioning, with Italy not requiring a second invitation to capitalise on such elementary errors.

Ioane put them again on the entrance foot as half-time approached, breaking clear from simply inside his personal half, and Italy completed strongly, securing a 12-7 interval lead.

INCREDIBLE!!

Italy rating a sensational attempt within the closing moments to safe their first win since 2015 🙌#GuinnessSixNations #WALvITA pic.twitter.com/lQizHDAypQ

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 19, 2022

Wales boss Wayne Pivac made a half-time change, sending on prop Leon Brown for Lewis, whereas Nick Tompkins changed Halaholo inside 5 minutes of the restart, as Ioane was then solely denied a attempt by Adams’ sensible cover-tackle.

Wales went forward after 52 minutes, although, once they drove a close-range lineout and Lake touched down for a attempt that Biggar transformed.

But the excellent Ioane responded by launching an exhilarating counter-attack, then Wales infringed inside their very own 22 and Garbisi accomplished his penalty hat-trick to make it 15-14.

Jones performed for an hour on his first look greater than 4 months after struggling a shoulder damage, being changed by Will Rowlands, and Callum Sheedy took up fly-half duties as Biggar moved to full-back as a substitute of McNicholl.

Adams sprinkled a little bit of magic on proceedings along with his clinching rating, but it surely was a forgettable efficiency by Wales that supplied little trigger for optimism forward of a three-Test South Africa tour in July, with Padovani and Garbisi combining to finish their distress.