Rugby Union

Italy Vs Wales Player Ratings After Azzurri Win In Rome And Warren Gatland Departs As Wales Coach

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James Chittick
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James Chittick Sports Editor

James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English & Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital & Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before joining Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.

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Published12 Feb 2025

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Italy Vs Wales Player Ratings

Here are our Italy Vs Wales player ratings as the Azzurri beat Wales 22-15 in Rome in round two of the Six Nations.

Italy Vs Wales Player Ratings

Italy

15 – Tommaso Allan: 7

Made sure Italy played in the right areas but missed a few kicks at goal, which could have cost his side in a tighter game.

14 – Ange Capuozzo: 7

Finished his try well and showed far more than against Scotland. Great work-rate, particularly on kick chase.

13 – Juan Ignacio Brex: 6

Not as impactful as he has been in previous games, but still a solid showing from the Argentine-born centre.

12 – Tommaso Menoncello: 7

The slippery conditions meant he had limited attacking opportunities, but he was monstrous in defence and put in another top performance.

11 – Monty Ioane: 6

Great pace and was threatening in attack, but looked a little questionable in defence a few times. Will need to tighten up against France.

10 – Paolo Garbisi: 8

A perfectly-weighted grubber for Capuozzo’s try, he managed the game brilliantly. Far more composed than Italian ten’s have been in years gone by.

9 – Martin Page-Relo: 8

Made up fo last week’s poor display with a great performance. Excellent kicking and made the right decision nine times out of ten.

8 – Lorenzo Cannone: 9

Made a ridiculous amount of metres on the carry and battered the Welsh back in defence. A magnificent performance from the back rower.

7 – Michele Lamaro: 7

Disruptive and hard-working, he always grafts for this Italy team and Saturday was no exception.

6 – Sebastian Negri: 8

Growing week-by-week into the terrific ball-carrier we know he can be. Looks like he’s finding his best form again and was huge for Italy at the weekend.

5 – Federico Ruzza: 6

Solid and effective, got the job done without any real frills.

4 – Niccolo Cannone: 7

Smashed Wales in defence and was solid in the lineout. Immense physicality and put himself everywhere on the field.

3 – Simone Ferrari: 7

Big shift at the scrum and showed some ferocious power. Work rate was good once again, though he is not as quick as his name might have you believe.

2 – Giacomo Nicotera: 8

Fantastic work at the breakdown and spot on with his throwing. Three turnovers marked a great effort from the hooker.

1 – Danilo Fischetti: 7

Just like last week, this Italian front row held their heads high and put in a great performance across the board.

Replacements: 4

The Italian subs did little to help their team, allowing Wales back into the match. They will be annoyed to have given up a losing bonus point, though they did get the win.

Wales:

15 – Blair Murray: 6

Decent in the air and had a few moments with ball in hand. Not his usual position but stepped up well.

14 – Tom Rogers: 6

Has been one of Wales’ better players through this dark period, and put in another solid shift.

13 – Nick Tompkins: 5

Didn’t have much impact once again. You can tell he’s trying and there’s no question of his effort, but it just isn’t clicking at the moment.

12 – Eddie James: 5

Bags of potential but still very raw, and never really got himself involved in the game.

11 – Josh Adams: 5

Bombed two big chances that could have put Wales back in with a chance. Looks a mile off the player we know he can be.

10 – Ben Thomas: 5

Looked rattled by the strong Italy defence and never got the Welsh attack going.

9 – Tomos Williams: 4

Always difficult to play scrum-half behind a pack that’s getting beaten up. Kicked poorly which put Wales under more pressure.

8 – Taulupe Faletau: 7

Great to see the veteran back and he settled right back into the test arena. If Wales are to get anything from their remaining games, you sense Faletau will be a big contributor.

7 – Jac Morgan: 7

Not as impressive as he was last week, but still put in a big shift and stood out as one of Wales’ best players again.

6 – James Botham: 5

Was physical and worked hard but couldn’t impact the match in any noticeable way.

5 – Freddie Thomas: 6

Only started after a late change but put in a solid display and worked extremely hard. Lost a few lineouts which lowers his score.

4 – Will Rowlands: 6

Grafted and battled but to no avail. Another one of this Welsh team who seems to put in maximum effort but get little to show for it.

3 – Henry Thomas: 4

Lost the scrum battle and was sent backwards by the Italian pack. Coughed up several penalties and was totally outplayed.

2 – Evan Lloyd: 5

Poor throwing again as the lineout faltered. Did put in a decent shift around the park but not enough to impact the result.

1 – Gareth Thomas: 5

Also beaten up in the scrum, but this whole Welsh pack can take some blame for that.

Replacements: 7

Aaron Wainwright was immense off the bench again. On the whole, the Wales subs did their job and brought their side back within a score.