Wales secured their first Six Nations victory in over four years, thrashing Italy 31-15 in Cardiff. A crowd of 70,000 witnessed a dominant first-half display that ended a 1,099-day drought since their last championship win, dating back to March 2023.
Captain Dewi Lake led from the front, scoring a try as Wales built a 21-0 halftime lead. Aaron Wainwright crossed twice, both from lineout drives, while Dan Edwards added a try and a drop goal after the break to secure the bonus point. Italy rallied with three late tries, but the result was never in doubt.
“It’s everything for us,” said Lake. “Everything we’ve been working for. Over the last two to three weeks our performance has built and we’ve grown as a group. That led in to today. We asked for our best performance of the campaign, and we got it.”
The win marks a significant turnaround for Wales, who had suffered heavy defeats earlier in the tournament. Head coach Steve Tandy praised the team’s growing physicality and confidence, which culminated in a comprehensive performance against an Italy side suffering a hangover from their historic win the previous week.
