Wales v Italy: Six Nations 2026 rugby union – live

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37 mins. A scrum takes a while to complete; at one point looking like a Wales penalty but Ref Ridley concludes both sides were popping up at the same time.

When it finally completes James spills the ball in contact on a huge crash ball angled run.

33 mins. Wales try a few phases on the halfway line before Williams kicks one towards the corner that Fusco covers and marks in the 22.

31 mins. Italy are in all sorts of trouble here. Wales are confident and have the upper hand in the set piece which has brought three tries, while the Italians appear to have lost the ref entirely as he is seeing infringements from them everywhere. The latest penalty given away by a blue shirt is at a ruck in the Wales half.

TRY! Wales 21 - 0 Italy (Dewi Lake)

29 mins. The Welsh pack have the Italians on toast so far via the lineout maul and so it proves again after Edwards puts it in the corner. The ball goes to the tail and Lake does the honours from the back of the rumbling maul.

Edwards converts.

28 mins. Wales win the ball back at the restart and spring up the right of the field, James chasing and gathering a grubber kick in the Italian 22. They move the ball left where there is a huge overlap, but the passes are not good and this allows the defence to scramble and engulf Adams. The ball comes back to the other side of the pitch where Ioane is penalised for a ruck infringement.

TRY! Wales 14 - 0 Italy (Aaron Wainwright)

26 mins. The home side take the option of a 5m lineout via Edwards’s boot. Lake throws a low lineout to Carter for the maul to gather and hammer forward quickly over the line for Wainwright to grab his second of the match!

Edwards converts

Wainwright of Wales scores a try. Photograph: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

24 mins. Wales win a scrum penalty and send it to touch near the Italy 22. Hawkins has a run from the lineout but is rattled to a halt and driven backwards, which looks to have impact for Italy before Zuliani handles the ball in the ruck in his eagerness to rub Hawkins nose in it.

22 mins. The game spends a few minutes in the middle third with each side in possession for a bit. Garbisi decides he’s had enough of this and sends a kick high for Lynagh to chase, which he reaches first but drops forward.

19 mins. Clean win from the Italian lineout is nearly maximised when Fusco dummies and races towards the line. He pumps his legs but doesn’t have enough to break the Welsh tacklers and as the ball moves left the passing is imprecise, sends the ball to the grass and Mee toe-punts it away.

17 mins. That try has Wales’s tails up slightly as their runners have increased their intensity a little in a few phases from the restart. However, this comes to a halt when Brex reads a pass behind the line and sprints onto Mann, isolates him, and wins a penalty when the back-rower holds onto the ball.

TRY! Wales 7 - 0 Italy (Aaron Wainwright)

15 mins. A decent lineout finally for Wales, this time on the Italy 22. Mee is prominent again as he takes a carry on the arc from his wing into the heart of the Italian defence before the ball is recycled to Wainwright on a brilliant line from deep to drive over.

Edwards converts

Wainwright of Wales runs in to score. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

13 mins. Mee calmly finds Rees-Zammit with a pass in the 22 for the fullback to cream a massive kick that puts Fusco under pressure. Mee follows up and then wins a penalty for Fusco not releasing the ball in the tackle. An excellent couple of minutes for the young winger.

MISSED PENALTY! Wales 0 - 0 Italy (Paolo Garbisi)

12 mins. The Welsh lineout is like a drunk monkey convention at the minute, and the latest one is lost via another knock-on that Mann then pounces on from an offside position.

Garbisi tees it up but strikes it horrifically.

10 mins. The ball runs loose from a red hand and it falls to the worst person possible from a Wales point of view: Menoncello. He races sixty metres up the left side of the pitch and flings a pass to Ioane before the scrambling defence does enough to haul him down. Italy spay it to the right, but the breakdown is frenetic and gives possession back to Wales via a penalty.

8 mins. Wales run to to the right from a scrum in teh middle of the field. Edward moves towards the line, but it’s very lateral and he takes the option to chip over the top that is too deep and Garbisi easily marks it in the 22. A waste of an attacking position.

6 mins. The first lineout for Wales is overthrown to Mann at the tail and lost forward to Italian hands. The visitors do nothing with it other than kick to touch to give Wales another go around halfway, which they kick high from and a good take by Lynagh is ruined by Fischetti spilling the ball on the next phase.

4 mins. Some phases from Wales in the Italian half are building some momentum, but the Azzuri defence is very cute in not putting many in the ruck, instead marshalling themselves across the field to contain the runners. Eventually, James is held up in the tackle and when the ball deosn’t emerge Italy have a well won scrum.

italy’s Niccolo Cannone is tackled. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

2 mins. Ruzza juggles with the first lineout after Wales clear the kick off, but the Italian forwards do enough to retain possession. At least until two phases later when it’s nicked at the ruck for Edwards to clear.

Kick Off!

Garbisi boots us underway

Officials today:

Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

“Watching from Minneapolis and refusing to let hope anywhere near me.” writes El Rose. She could be commenting on Wales’s chances or the current US political landscape.

The roof is closed, the lights are down, and the fireworks are popping as the teams emerge from the tunnel. Kick off soon.

“Currently on a plane heading to Mexico.” Stephen Halliday informs us. “Have just finished following along the Ireland - Scotland match and am knackered! Hoping for more of the same from this game!!”

“I’m following your commentary from Canada.” says Roger Moore, “Went to the stadium in Cardiff with my dad and my grandad. I still think of it as the Cardiff Arms Park. Many memories of the good old golden days. Hoping for another good day today. Cymru am Byth!”

Pre-match reading

Get in touch with me prior to and throughout the match on the email. It’s likely to be an eventful day as Super Saturday unfolds, so keep me updated on your throughts.

Teams

Wales
Louis Rees‑Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carré, Dewi Lake (c), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Ollie Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Blair Murray.

Preamble

There’s a famous Italian phrase La Dolce Vita, which I believe translates directly to “we beat England, have some of that!”. This is the energy Gonzalo Quesada’s men bring to Cardiff today as they seek their first ever three-win Six Nations tournament. Their final position in the table is to be determined by results elsewhere today, but as a way marker for their development this is of lesser import than the number in the W column.

Wales also have their own language of course, and whether they speak it or not all fans of Cymru will have the feeling of digon nawr – “enough now”. Enough of governance and administrative clustershambles, enough non sell-out matches, enough rationalisation of poor performances, enough losing. For all Italy’s tangible improvement, this was always the match that presented the home side with the best chance of avoiding the wooden spoon and they will be pouring everything into this.

Will it be enough? The form suggests not and added to this the Azzuri have their own motivation to inspire them. Can Wales summon their recent vastly improved outings and add the extra required to overcome this? All will be revealed in the next few hours.