Wales preparation for Italy game dominated by fear, says Kirwan

ITALY coach John Kirwan believes Wales’ preparations for today’s World Cup showdown in Canberra have been dominated by a fear of failure.

It would go a long way to explaining why the public face of the Welsh camp this week has contrasted so starkly to the Azzurri’s.

Just as Chris Latham’s performance at an Australian press conference prompted fears of a split in the Wallaby camp, so Steve Hansen and captain Colin Charvis have done little to dispel the impression that Wales are feeling edgy under pressure.