Some of the 1980s and 1990s squads, spring to mind.īut Gatland's team will not want to become the lowest-placed Wales side since ranking records began. There have been poorer sides than this Welsh class of 2023. Wales will drop out of the top 10 for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2003 if they suffer defeat against Italy and could even drop as low as 13th. The damning statistics don't lie.Ī sequence of 12 defeats in 15 matches has seen Wales slip to 10th in the world rugby rankings, a lowly position they have held only twice before. Three convincing defeats, no bonus points, only three tries scored and 12 conceded. It is more than a year since Wales won a game in this tournament and they head to Rome following losses to Ireland, Scotland and England. Now at the start of his second spell in charge after he returned by taking over from fellow New Zealander Wayne Pivac, Wales have no points from three matches. In the two decades since, Wales have won four Grand Slams and five Six Nations titles and reached two World Cup semi-finals, mostly during Gatland's first tenure. Wales are aiming to avoid a clean sweep of Six Nations defeats for the first time since 2003. The prospect remains a real possibility unless they can defeat the hosts at the Stadio Olimpico. It is 20 years since Wales experienced such ignominy, when Steve Hansen was in charge. The tournament was expanded from the Five Nations in 2000 to accommodate the Italians, who have since propped up the standings on 17 occasions, compared to Scotland four times and Wales and France once. Now they find themselves hoping to avoid finishing bottom of the table. Wales have found themselves battling more often than not for Six Nations trophies over the last 20 years.
But that is the reality facing the visitors this Saturday in the Eternal City.
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