It has been 17 years since Wales suffered the fate of a Six Nations whitewash. Going into the last round of fixtures, Warren Gatland’s side are pitted against a buoyant Azzurri side oozing confidence.
Italy’s draw with France surprised many, but to back that up with their first victory on home soil in 11 years against Scotland 31-29 in Rome has shown that they are no longer the whipping boys they once were.
Rejuvenated under new coach Gonzalo Quesada, the development of the Italian national side coincides with the improved performances in the United Rugby Championship from play-off chancing Benetton. The region’s core provides the spine to the national team so perhaps it shouldn’t be as big of a shock as first thought.
Having lost in Cardiff only two years ago Wales will be fully aware of the Azzurri’s growing ability and qualities and will know they will have to put on a strong showing to finish the campaign on a high.
As Gatland’s transitional group prepares to face their final battle of the tournament, pressure will be mounting to turn promising moments into a victory after six straight losses in the capital.
Beard feels Wales needs to rise to the occasion, deal with the pressure accordingly and prove the doubters wrong.
“It is a must-win game, so we are going to be hungry and willing to go to the wall for 80 minutes,” said Beard.
“Hopefully, when it comes to it, we will be right on point, we will deal with that pressure well and get the win.
“We have got to deal with it, and we’ve got to deal with it pretty quickly. There are no ifs or buts now.
“It’s huge. There is nothing we can do but win that game, otherwise you know what is going to happen.
“Over the last [few] years I have played against them, it has been a tough test match every single time.
“Italian rugby is 100 percent on the up. Their game management, how structured they are – it is not a loose game from them anymore – and they have got exciting players.
“They have got a very good team on paper, and they are putting in some good performances, and we have got to be on point to get the win.
“Hopefully, everyone who is watching Welsh rugby can see that whilst we haven’t got a win yet, there are lots of positives that have come out of these games, and we are not far off being an unbelievable side.
“We like to pride ourselves on being a tough team to beat. We want to get those results and we want them now.
“We are not happy with just being a young side getting good exposure, we do want to get those wins now. International rugby is about winning, so it would be nice to put on an 80-minute performance next Saturday.
“Look, we can’t put too much pressure on ourselves because sometimes that goes the other way then, and it might spiral backwards.
“If we get our stuff right and put in that 80-minute performance, I have no doubt this squad will get the win.”
[Lead image: Welsh Rugby Union]
