Rusty Welsh just do enough

Wales 23, Italy 15

Pre-match predictions were for an avalanche of points from the champions of 2012 and 2013 on home soil and, when the Italian debutant Angelo Esposito gifted the predatory Alex Cuthbert a try after a mere three minutes, it looked as though the floodgates were going to open.

The Italians arrived with a record-breaking pack of forwards – Sergio Parisse’s eight boasted 490 caps – and they battled and grappled in much the same way as they had on the opening day a year earlier when they beat France in Rome. But it was the resolve of a makeshift back line that had three players promoted from last year’s U20 championship who really stole the show.