Wales look for record win

Wales need to record their biggest victory over Ireland for 26 years when they face mission improbable at the Millennium Stadium next Saturday.

A blundering Italian job has left a huge dent in Welsh hopes of landing their second successive RBS 6 Nations title.

A minimum 13-point winning margin is not something Wales have achieved at Grand Slam-chasing Ireland’s expense since 1983.

Eddie Butler captained Wales to a 23-9 success that day in Cardiff, but current form suggests anything approaching a repeat result is unlikely.

Wales boss Warren Gatland is due to name his team tomorrow – and several changes can be expected, especially in the forwards.

Gatland must restore his first-choice front row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones after their deputies struggled badly in Rome, while lock Ian Gough and flanker Martyn Williams can also expect recalls.

And Gatland could be tempted to tinker with his back row, possibly leaving out number eight Andy Powell, who has failed to recapture his barnstorming autumn Test form, replacing him with Ryan Jones and retaining Jonathan Thomas on the blindside flank.

But whatever the head coach decides in selection, any repeat of Wales’ Stadio Flaminio struggle can surely only result in one outcome – an Ireland win.

“It was an accumulation of things,” said Wales wing Mark Jones, whose two most notable contributions during the 20-15 success came in defence.

“We didn’t get the flow to our game we would have liked. We fielded their kicks well, but maybe there were some wrong options off that.

“Maybe we should have kept the ball in hand a bit more and worked them harder for longer periods.

“But it’s down to the last game next Saturday. The priority for us (in Rome) was winning, and if we are measured on that, it was mission accomplished.

“Teams have had a 12-month period to have a little look at us, see where they feel we were successful last year and then try to combat that. We are aware teams are going to be doing that, and we are trying to evolve our game plan. It does take time.

“We are grateful for the win against Italy, but obviously we would like to have done it in a more stylish fashion.

“But I am pleased we will go into the last game of the championship and be in with a shout.”

Centre Gavin Henson, meanwhile, publicly voiced his dismay at a late tactical decision that could have rebounded spectacularly on Wales.

Henson was enraged when Wales chose to take a long-range kick at goal deep into injury-time. He could be seen voicing his displeasure to team-mate Ryan Jones as substitute Stephen Jones lined up the penalty.

Henson wanted the ball booted into the proverbial row Z as a prelude to referee Alan Lewis blowing the final whistle, therefore denying Italy any chance of launching a counter-attack.

And Wales ran exactly the risk Henson feared, as Jones’ strike landed well short of the Italian posts, but the Azzurri knocked on in their eagerness to mount a last-gasp offensive.

Henson said: “I was frustrated. I didn’t agree with the decision at the end, that’s all.

“I was a bit annoyed with the decision and also I was annoyed with the way the game went. I was frustrated with the way we were playing.

“Maybe our tactics were wrong. In saying that, we did make a lot of mistakes. If we hadn’t made so many mistakes, maybe the tactics might have been right. It was just frustrating being out there.”