Jenkins fumes after last-gasp loss

Head coach Gareth Jenkins slammed referee Chris White after Wales fell to a controversial late defeat to Italy in Rome.

Wales were pushing desperately for a victory after Italy had snatched a 23-20 lead through Mauro Bergamasco with just five minutes remaining.

They won a kickable penalty but spurned the opportunity to go for the draw and kicked for touch on the understanding enough time remained in the game for one last drive.

Gareth Thomas, acting captain with Stephen Jones off the field, had consulted the referee and was apparently told Wales had 10 seconds.

But, before the lineout could be taken the full-time whistle blew, confirming an historic victory for Italy and sparking confusion and fury amongst the Welsh squad.

Jenkins said: “The referee made the decision that if we had gone to touch we would have had time to play off the lineout.

“We were positive. We felt we could go on and win the game. If we had known kicking the ball off would have meant the end of the game we would have kicked for goal.

“We were quite clearly told we had time to play and when we put the ball off the field we were told the game was over. There is frustration at the moment.

“I talked to the referee and he told me that’s how it was, and obviously that is unsatisfactory to say the least.”

Jenkins backed the decision to push for a win, despite Wales having lost all three of their previous RBS 6 Nations games.

They must now beat England next weekend to stand any chance of avoiding a second wooden spoon in four years.

Jenkins appeared to be deflecting any blame from Thomas and added: “Players make decisions. It is not about who is captain at the time.

“I was comfortable they were making the right decisions. They made the same decision I would have made to try to win the game.”

Referee White refused to comment as he left the stadium.

The controversy threatened to overshadow a major achievement by the Italians who, for the first time, have won two matches in a Six Nations campaign.

The led 13-7 at the interval on the back of two penalties from Ramiro Pez and a solo try from winger Kaine Robertson.

Wales hit back after the interval, scoring 13 points to race ahead with James Hook landing two penalties and Matthew Rees adding to Shane Williams’ first-half try.

But Italy worked their way back into the game with a third penalty from Pez before Bergamasco latched onto a clever chip forward to score what eventually proved to be the decisive try.