Wales v Italy: three key head-to-heads which will decide the outcome at Parc y Scarlets

by James Dodd

WALES host Italy this weekend in Llanelli with hope of claiming a fifth-place finish in the Autumn Nations Cup and ending the current block of Test fixtures on a much-needed positive note.

It has been a difficult few weeks for both sides, with Wales only managing a win against Georgia and Italy only being granted an automatic 28-0 victory over Fiji after their Coronavirus outbreak.

Here, James Dodd looks at three key battles that will take place at Parc y Scarlets this Saturday.

Josh Adams v Montanna Ioane (Wing)

We know what a good finisher Adams is, he’s shown it for Wales and Cardiff Blues, as well as when he played for Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership. The last time he went over for Wales was against the Italians back in February, when he managed a hat-trick. Since then, Adams has played six times without a score, something he will be pretty disappointed with. Furthermore, since the return of rugby from lockdown, he has gained only 30 metres. Saturday will be a good opportunity for him to let loose and claw some confidence back.

Now that Ioane is eligible to play for Italy, there is no surprise that Franco Smith has handed him his debut this week. He has played rugby all over the world, including New Zealand and France. He has played for Italian side Benetton since 2017, and in total has racked up 18 tries in 45 appearances. Ioane has probably been one of the most consistent players for the side from Treviso, with his powerful and slick runs causing chaos. He will certainly want to impress on the international stage for more caps in the future and starting it against a Welsh side lacking confidence won’t worry him too much.

Kieran Hardy v Stephen Varney (Scrum-half)

Hardy earns his second cap, his first coming against Georgia in Wales’ 18-0 win. His kicking game will be important to get Wales playing in the right places. However, Hardy’s distribution and accuracy when Wales can sniff an opportunity will be more vital in deciding who takes the spoils. Wales will want to show that they can play some good attacking rugby, and that will rely on the 25-year-old doing his job well. He will certainly want to get over that white line if the opportunity presents itself.

As for Varney, his is one of the strangest rugby stories of recent times; a 19-year-old from Pembrokeshire playing for Italy against Wales. This will be Varney’s first start for the Azzurri, and he will be looking on at some familiar faces, including club teammate Louis Rees-Zammit among the opposition. With Marcello Violi having started all four matches at No9 since October, there will be pressure on Varney’s performance to warrant more starts come 2021.

Sam Parry v Luca Bigi (Hooker)

This will be Parry’s first start for Wales – and given the struggle Wales have had at the lineout this Autumn, this is an opportunity for the Osprey. He will also want to go well at the scrum, which has also struggled in the last few games, when he packs down between Nicky Smith and Tomos Francis. The competition for the hooking spot between him, Elliot Dee and Ryan Elias will certainly get more interesting when Ken Owens returns from his shoulder injury.

For similar reasons, it is important for Luca Bigi to put a good shift in for the away side. The captain will certainly play a part in the line out and scrums, somewhere the Italians will target. Alongside this, he will want to lead from the front and set an example of how he wants his forwards to play. With poor results in 2020, there will be pressure on the Zebre player to get a good result as captain. Out of all the tier 1 oppositions this year, this will surely be the match they believe they have the best chance of winning.