Receiving the ball a metre from the touchline, Williams beat five Italy defenders as he cut back inside on a stunning run at pace and Wales retained control of the contest, 15-3 in front. Their attacking game had a real urgency about it, but a second try inside the opening quarter owed everything to Liam Williams’ individual brilliance. Italy needed a response and it arrived through an Allan penalty after 16 minutes, yet Wales were immediately back on the front foot. Williams’ conversion opened up a 10-0 lead and the visitors were off to a flying start. Webb kicked over the top of Italy’s defence and Dyer made the most of a kind bounce to gather before sprinting over. Italy looked lethargic and nervous in comparison and Wales extended their lead with a ninth-minute try. Wales started brightly in glorious conditions, creating quick possession and looking to attack in wide channels before fly-half Owen Williams kicked them ahead through a sixth-minute penalty. Italy were without injured playmaker Ange Capuozzo, so Harlequins fly-half Tommaso Allan featured at full-back in a solitary switch following the Azzurri’s battling display against Ireland two weeks ago. Gatland made six changes to the side beaten by England last time out, with scrum-half Rhys Webb handed a first Test start since October 2020, while there were also call-ups for Liam Williams, Dyer, Wyn Jones, Dafydd Jenkins and Jac Morgan. Wales head to Paris next for a Six Nations appointment with France and, while that assignment is a daunting one, they can at least travel with a degree of confidence after claiming a first win since Gatland returned for his second stint as head coach.
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