. And it is highly unlikely that sentence has been written before.
Admittedly, there is barely anything in it. At the time of writing, Italy are widely available at evens with a handicap of seven; for France and Ireland, the handicap is six. All three are a little shy of 2-1 on to win their respective matches. That is quite the company Italy are keeping.
Whether these odds are a reflection of Italy’s growing prowess or an alarming decline in the fortunes of their opponents in Rome on Saturday, Wales, is the next question. In avoidance of the weariest cliche/cop-out in sports commentary (“probably a bit of both”), one would have to say the greater part of the equation is the decline of Wales, which has been brutal indeed since the ejection of the last of the golden generation from the World Cup in 2023.
All the more poignant to see one of the bona fide greats of that era, Taulupe Faletau, airdropped straight into the side at the earliest opportunity. His presence at the base of the scrum will reassure coaches, fans and those teammates old enough to remember him alike, but the truth is he has played little more than three hours of rugby since he broke an arm in Wales’s final pool match, against Georgia, at France 2023.
That also happens to be the last time Wales won a Test, 13 matches ago. His comeback for Cardiff, in April last year, lasted half an hour, when he broke a shoulder against Ulster at Ravenhill. Since then, his comeback this season has been hampered by knee problems, but the medics have passed him fit for this match which is crucial to Wales’s campaign – indeed, to their entire sense of self-worth – and Warren Gatland has wasted no time.
Faletau replaces Aaron Wainwright at No 8. He left the field in only the fourth minute of Wales’s drubbing in Paris in …
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