Dragons need to find some fire, fast

By JONATHAN DAVIES

Wales have had bad defeats in the past, but I can't think of one as disgraceful as this loss to Italy. They were annihilated by a team who I would back Llanelli to beat.

And that is no slur on Italy. As a rugby supporter, I am delighted they recorded such an important victory, their first against Wales and only their second in the Six Nations.

They brought hope, aggression and passion to the game. The Welsh team will need to be reminded that we used to possess those basic qualities.

After the great promise Wales showed in the autumn internationals and the time they've spent together in camp over the past couple of weeks, I cannot believe they played so badly.

The forwards just didn't turn up. They had no ball-carriers. When Scott Quinnell retired, it was clear Wales would need someone to carry the ball over the gain-line.

I had imagined this would be Colin Charvis, but he did not have a good game and was eventually replaced.

What was worse was that they appeared to have no zest for the battle. When you see Welsh prop forwards having the ball ripped from them by Italian wingers, you know that something unusual is happening. The front five were completely smashed, the lineout was poor and their only answer was to roll over and play lateral rugby.

The statistics say that Wales had more possession in the second half, but most of that was in the Welsh 22 and they had little idea how to get out of it.

Despite an encouraging display at halfback by Dwayne Peel and Iestyn Harris, and some promising penetration by the centres, Wales were not in any shape to do the necessary up front. The best backs can't perform when they are continually on the back foot.

Perhaps the worst part of the Welsh performance was their defence, particularly when Italy scored their two first-half tries. Wales defended desperately on both occasions, but it was a passive defence that did nothing to fling the attackers back.

Good defence has to be aggressive, you have to knock men back, but Wales seemed incapable of doing this against a team that had all the willingness in the world. Their back row were brilliant, with Andrea de Rossi a worthy man of the match, and they were allowed to dominate the game.

The Welsh backs had some excellent passages of play in the first half. Tom Shanklin scored a good try and, although I felt Steve Williams' try should not have been allowed because the ball escaped his grasp before it touched the ground, it was the result of a piercing attack.

But all that promise was betrayed by the lack of presence and commitment up front. You can't compete in the Six Nations unless your determination is cranked up to the top notch.

Next Sunday Wales play England at the Millennium Stadium. What can they do to avert a massacre when they are not exactly blessed with good replacements?

The answer is that Wales need new hearts. Can they be reconditioned in six days? I sincerely hope so, otherwise the result doesn't bear thinking about.

- INDEPENDENT