By David Parsons
Warren Gatland is banking on Taulupe’s 100+ cap experience providing his young Wales side with a real boost in confidence as they seek to beat Italy in Rome in Round 2 of the Guinness Six Nations championship.
The 34-year-old Cardiff No 8 has returned from his latest injury misery to pick up his 105th cap at Stadio Olimpico at the weekend in a vital clash for both nations.
Italy went down to a 31-19 opening day defeat against Scotland in Edinburgh, while Wales were beaten 43-0 by France in Paris.
Italy notched their fourth win over Wales in Cardiff at the end of last season’s tournament, but have never beaten a Warren Gatland side in Rome.
Wales will be seeking a ninth win in a row in the ‘Eternal City’ having not lost there since 2007.
“Taulupe wasn’t quite ready for last week but now he’s ready to go. It’s a real confidence booster for us,” admitted Gatland.
“He has experience and probably a little bit of X-factor. We know what an outstanding player he’s been in the past for Wales and even though he hasn’t had a lot of games in the last few years, just having him back gives everyone a lot of confidence.”
Big boost for Wales!
Number eight Taulupe Faletau has been passed fit for Saturday’s Six Nations clash against Italy
How crucial will he be for Wales? #BBCRugby
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) February 7, 2025
With Faletau returning at No 8, Aaron Wainwright drops to the bench. He lasted only four minutes of the game in Paris after receiving a nasty gash to his face.
“I spoke to Aaron early in the week and he said he was 100% keen to be available. He wasn’t looking at any opportunity to not put himself in contention to be selected,” added Gatland.
“He didn’t get much time last week so it’s good to see him back and hopefully having an impact off the bench.”
While some pundits have been claiming the game in Rome is a ‘must-win’ match for Wales, Gatland insists that “every game is important”.
After a good week of preparation away from any outside noise in Nice, he is looking for an improvement on last weekend and a win to break the current sequence.
“People throw out comments like it’s a ‘must-win’ game but you never talk about that as a group. You never say it’s a ‘must-win’ game, you just make sure you do the right things as a group and in your preparation,” said Gatland.
“We possibly didn’t express ourselves as much as we could have last week. There were some opportunities and we’ve spoken about being calm and relaxed, particularly on attack – when we get chances we need to make sure we execute them.
“We did a heat map on us and France and found they made most of their tackles in the middle of the park while we tended to make a lot of our tackles around the 22. It’s just getting the balance right and not overplaying.”
Warren Gatland says Saturday’s #SixNations match with Italy is ‘definitely not’ the biggest game for Wales in the last 20 years. ❌
Do you agree with the Wales head coach? #BBCRugby #Wales pic.twitter.com/erwLR3tOYd
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) February 6, 2025
Gatland knows exactly what to expect from the Italians have coached against them for so long. He describes them as “a team that won’t go away”.
“What impressed me about them last weekend was their fight. They were down, but they took their threes and got back to 19-12 before the intercept made it 19-19 and they were in the game,” he added.
“We know they they’ll compete hard at the breakdown and are a tough team to put away. We’ve spoken as a group about how how important this game is for us.
“The players have responded well, in terms of taking some leadership and ownership this week. They’re aware of how important this game is.
“You just try to be as positive as you possibly can and try to keep away from the white noise from the outside. That’s hugely important.
“Being down here in Nice this week and away from things has definitely been a positive for us as a group. We are focusing on ourselves and preparing for this week.”
Warren Gatland Looks To Taulupe Faletau To Lift Desperate Wales