Wales v Italy: Team line-ups, kick-off time, key quotes, predictions, odds and where to watch on TV
Our guide to Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash between Wales and Italy in Cardiff includes team news, predictions, statistics and more.
What time is kick off & what channel is it on?
The match, which takes place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, will start at 1415 GMT on Saturday February 1 and will be screened live on BBC and S4C.
Wales v Italy: Team news
Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny; Johnny McNicholl, George North, Hadleigh Parkes, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Rob Evans, Leon Brown, Cory Hill, Ross Moriarty, Rhys Webb, Jarrod Evans, Nick Tompkins.
Italy team: Matteo Minozzi; Leonardo Sarto, Luca Morisi, Carlo Canna, Mattia Bellini; Tommaso Allan, Callum Braley, Giosuè Zilocchi, Luca Bigi (capt), Andrea Lovotti, Alessandro Zanni, Niccolò Cannone, Sebastian Negri, Jake Polledri, Abraham Steyn.
Replacements: Federico Zani, Danilo Fischetti, Marco Riccioni, Marco Lazzaroni, Dean Budd, Giovanni Licata, Guglielmo Palazzani, Jayden Hayward.
Wales v Italy: Odds and tips
Wales begin their Six Nations campaign with a straightforward home game which they are 1/33 to win. Italy, 10/1 for victory, are given a 23-point handicap start by Sky Bet.
Tony Calvin preview: My gut feeling was to keep stakes to a bare minimum here – and this looks a low-staking weekend to me - until I reverted to the obvious and saw Italy were generally available on the first-half handicap with a 12-point start (19/20 with BetVictor). That looks on the generous side.
Wales v Italy: Inside the camps
- Jake Ball on new coach Wayne Pivac
"I think Wayne is very clear on the way he wants to play in terms of pattern and player-wise.
"We want to play an exciting brand of rugby and it is going to be really interesting the next few weeks.
"I think he will really enjoy it. He knows when to have a laugh and he knows when to be serious. I think that's really important in this environment.
"He is very good at picking players. He understands players very, very well.
"In terms of individuals, everyone is slightly different, and he gets to know each player individually. How you deal with players is really important from a head coach.
"Some boys respond well to a kick in the backside - some lads don't. He is very good and smart in the way he has those conversations in order to get the best out of players.
"A lot of it is getting the best motivation out of players and I think he is extremely good at doing that."
Wales v Italy: Recent meetings
2016 Six Nations: Wales 67-14 Italy (Cardiff)
2017 Six Nations: Italy 7-33 Wales (Rome)
2018 Six Nations: Wales 38-14 Italy (Cardiff)
2019 Six Nations: Italy 15-26 Wales (Rome)
Six Nations fixtures
Round One (February 1-2)
- Wales v Italy, Saturday Feb 1, 2.15pm, Principality Stadium, Cardiff; BBC and S4C; Ref - Luke Pearce (England)
- Ireland v Scotland, Saturday Feb 1, 4.45pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin; ITV; Ref - Mathieu Raynal (France)
- France v England, Sunday Feb 2, 3pm, Stade de France, Paris; BBC; Ref - Nigel Owens (Wales)
Round Two (February 8-9)
- Ireland v Wales, Saturday Feb 8, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin; ITV and S4C; Ref - Romain Poite (France)
- Scotland v England, Saturday Feb 8, 4.45pm, BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh; BBC; Ref - Pascal Gauzere (France)
- France v Italy, Sunday Feb 9, 3.00pm, Stade de France, Paris; BBC; Ref - Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Round Three (February 22-23)
- Italy v Scotland, Saturday Feb 22, 2.15pm, Stadio Olimpico, Rome; ITV: Ref - Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
- Wales v France, Saturday Feb 22, 4.45pm, Principality Stadium, Cardiff; BBC and S4C; Ref - Matt Carley (England)
- England v Ireland, Sunday Feb 23, 3.00pm, Twickenham, London; ITV; Ref - Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Round Four (March 7-8)
- Ireland v Italy, Saturday Mar 7, 2.15pm, Aviva Stadium, Dublin; BBC and S4C; Ref - Nic Berry (South Africa)
- England v Wales, Saturday Mar 7, 4.45pm, Twickenham, London; ITV; Ref - Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
- Scotland v France, Sunday Mar 8, 3.00pm, BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh; BBC; Ref - Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Round Five (March 14)
- Wales v Scotland, Saturday Mar 14, 2.15pm, Principality Stadium, Cardiff; BBC and S4C; Ref - Angus Gardner (Australia)
- Italy v England, Saturday Mar 14, 4.45pm, Stadio Olimpico, Rome; ITV; Ref - Pascal Gauzere (France)
- France v Ireland, Saturday Mar 14, 8.00pm, Stade de France, Paris; BBC; Ref - Wayne Barnes (England)
More Six Nations links
MOST READ
