Wales thought they had done enough in Rome as they stormed to a 61-20 victory over the Azzurri.
Italy V Wales: Substitutions allow Wales to take Control in the Second Half
The vast majority of the points came in the second half and the simple reason is that Wales were inaccurate in the first. There were several dropped balls and missed passes, Jamie Roberts lost the ball in contact, something unheard of for the giant centre. As Wales faltered Italy gained spirit and found themselves in a game at half time.
As the second half started however, it was clear this would be a different story as the points began to flow. A key point of the game came when Leigh Halfpenny was forced off with a concussion during the first half. In a normal game this would be bad news for Wales, but in the circumstances, Liam Williams moving to full back was exactly what Wales needed.
Williams gave Wales the spark they needed and counter attacked superbly from full back, he scored one and set up a try within two minutes of each other, showing his prowess from full back.
He was not the only replacement for impressed, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Scott Williams all impressed. Tipuric made a try for Warburton with his pace and incredible handling skills and Scott Williams was incredible all game. The Scarlets centre made himself busy throughout and his pace and power created a lot of opportunities for Wales and he more than deserved his try. He also earned a serious question over whether he should be starting for Wales or not, he consistently makes an impact when he comes on.
The pack was once again outstanding for Wales but the man who stole the headlines, was George North. The Northampton Saints winger has been average for Wales in the last year but his hat-trick on Saturday showed how good he can be. Wales played to his strengths too, the second try he scored Wales forced just a yard of space for the giant winger and he did what he does best, finished it off. If Wales continue to use him in this way they are bound to score more tries.
The key area Wales won this game however, was in the collapse of Italian spirits. After scoring three in quick succession early in the second half the wind was knocked out of the Italians and they never looked the same side as they had in the first half as Wales romped home. Despite not winning the title this was a good win for Wales and gives them a good experience of how to pick up points ahead of the World Cup group which could come down to points.
