{"id":16447,"date":"2017-02-03T12:29:25","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T12:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=16447"},"modified":"2017-02-03T12:29:25","modified_gmt":"2017-02-03T12:29:25","slug":"let-battle-commence-preview-wales-six-nations-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/02\/03\/let-battle-commence-preview-wales-six-nations-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Let battle commence &#8211; we preview Wales&#039; Six Nations opener"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IT is every British rugby fan\u2019s favourite day of the year. At 2.30pm on Saturday, the 2017 Six Nations will commence, and for seven weeks, little else will matter.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The tournament enters its 18th year since five became six, with a repeat of the greatest day in the tournament\u2019s history with the three 2015 Super Saturday match-ups locking horns once again.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales, rugby\u2019s perennial slow starters, sit out the opening Saturday and take on Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the last two occasions these sides have faced each other in the Six Nations, Wales have scored over 60 points. History, and the weather forecast, would suggest this will not be the case this year, despite the introduction of bonus points to the scoring system. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales last played Italy in the first round three years ago, registering an unimpressive 23-15 win at the Millennium Stadium against a Michele Campagnaro-inspired Italian outfit. Campagnaro, though, has surprisingly been left out of the starting XV this time around. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They say all roads lead to Rome but, on paper, all roads should lead to the Italian try-line on Sunday. Coach Rob Howley has opted for a conservative selection but with a starting XV containing\u00a0multiple British and Irish Lions and averaging 45 caps apiece, there should be no doubt as to the winner.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16452\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16452\" style=\"width: 468px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-16452\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse.jpg\" alt=\"Italy's Six Nations hopes will, as ever, rely on captain Sergio Parisse\" width=\"468\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse.jpg 1027w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-293x219.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-16452\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse.jpg\" alt=\"Italy's Six Nations hopes will, as ever, rely on captain Sergio Parisse\" width=\"468\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse.jpg 1027w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sergio-Parisse-293x219.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 468px) 100vw, 468px\" \/><\/noscript> Italy&#8217;s Six Nations hopes will, as ever, rely on captain Sergio Parisse (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/deed.en\">PierreSelim<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With Conor O\u2019Shea, Brendan Venter and Mike Catt at the helm, this Italian side will be better drilled and more competitive than in previous years. But even the best coaching panel in the world might struggle to contend with a 23-man squad that contains 18 players plying their trade with Treviso and Zebre, the Guinness Pro12\u2019s basement boys. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the home side, as ever, is sprinkled with stardust. The irrepressible Sergio Parisse will win his 122nd cap at the back of the scrum. Nothing else need be said &#8211; the man is a legend.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parisse will be joined at the coin toss by a new full-time Wales captain in the shape of Alun Wyn Jones. These two titans of the modern-day game are the only two players left over from Italy\u2019s infamous 23-20 win at the Stadio Flaminio in 2007. (Leonardo Ghiraldini was on the bench then as he is this weekend, though he never entered the fray on that occasion.)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This Wales side is an altogether different proposition from that of 10 March 2007. World Cup embarrassment followed later that year, as did the sacking of coach Gareth Jenkins. This ushered in the Warren Gatland era, and with it came two Grand Slams and a Championship title in six seasons. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Such was the success of those early years that the Welsh public now finds itself at a crossroads. A turgid style of play gives the sense that Wales has been left behind at the top tier, while the lack of any uncapped players in the matchday squad has punctured the enthusiasm of the original squad announcement.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16453\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16453\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16453\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"Having relinquished the captaincy, Wales fans will hope to see Sam Warburton back to his best\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16453\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16453\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"Having relinquished the captaincy, Wales fans will hope to see Sam Warburton back to his best\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/Sam-Warburton.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript> Having relinquished the captaincy, Wales fans will hope to see Sam Warburton back to his best (Credit: jeanfrancois beausejour)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe believe this is the best team to start the tournament,\u201d said Howley on Thursday. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe\u2019ve gone with a lot of experience. There\u2019s obviously discussions regarding those [uncapped] players. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cGoing into a campaign, Italy first up, we\u2019ve been there as coaches and some of the players have &#8211; 2009 comes to mind &#8211; where we\u2019ve made many changes.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On that day, Wales scraped past Italy by five points. In this &#8211; the most competitive Six Nations in recent memory &#8211; there is little room for experimentation. But picking two form youngsters on the bench wouldn\u2019t be the most outlandish team selection in the world. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The particularly dour nature of the autumn campaign, coupled with the new captaincy and the addition of Alex King as backs coach do give cause for optimism. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Will the much-anticipated, new, attacking brand of rugby finally materialise? When asked to describe Wales in one word, Howley said \u201cexciting\u201d. It did take about 10 seconds for him to think of it though. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Howley himself said the tournament is all about momentum. If Wales lose, it could be the beginning of a seven-week nightmare. But based on form, history, and the XVs selected, this is a match Wales should not\u00a0lose.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><\/b><b>SIX NATIONS HISTORY<\/b><br \/>\n<b>2016<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> WALES 67 &#8211; 14 Italy<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2015<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Italy 20 &#8211; 61 WALES<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2014 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WALES 23 &#8211; 15 Italy<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2013<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Italy 9 &#8211; 26 WALES<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2012 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WALES 24 &#8211; 3 Italy<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2011 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Italy 16 &#8211; 24 WALES<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2010 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WALES 33 &#8211; 10 Italy<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2009 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Italy 15 &#8211; 20 WALES<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2008 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">WALES 47 &#8211; 8 Italy<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16456\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16456\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16456\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"The High School Musical gang came back for a third instalment the following year \" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16456\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16456\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-300x224.jpg\" alt=\"The High School Musical gang came back for a third instalment the following year \" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/HSM2.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript> The High School Musical gang came back for a third instalment the following year (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/2.0\/\">holidaytoys<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<b>2007 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ITALY 23 &#8211; 20 Wales<\/span><br \/>\n<b>WHAT WAS THE WORLD LIKE WHEN ITALY\u00a0LAST BEAT WALES?<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tony Blair was Prime Minister \u00b7 The following day, brand manager Surya Yalamanchili was fired in week eight of series six of the US Apprentice \u00b7 Facebook had between 12 and 58 million users \u00b7 Fewer than one million people used Twitter \u00b7 Instagram, Airbnb and Uber didn\u2019t exist \u00b7 High School Musical 2 hadn\u2019t been released yet \u00b7 AFC Bournemouth sat in the bottom half of League One.<\/span><br \/>\n<strong>SQUAD CAPS<\/strong><br \/>\n<b>Wales <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">867<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Italy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">686<\/span><br \/>\n<b>2016 FORM<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Wales <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">DWWLWLLLLLWWW<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Italy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LLLLLLWWLWL<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IT is every British rugby fan\u2019s favourite day of the year. At 2.30pm on Saturday, the 2017 Six Nations will commence, and for seven weeks, little else will matter. The tournament enters its 18th year since five became six, with a repeat of the greatest day in the tournament\u2019s history with the three 2015 Super Saturday match-ups locking horns once again. Wales, rugby\u2019s perennial slow starters, sit out the opening Saturday and take on Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":16452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,4],"tags":[152,4270,1291,4271,3430,4272,4273,154,328,339,4163],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-16447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby","category-sport","tag-italy","tag-blair","tag-cardiff-2","tag-high-school-musical","tag-howley","tag-parisse","tag-rome","tag-rugby-2","tag-six-nations","tag-wales","tag-wyn-jones"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Let battle commence - we preview Wales&#039; Six Nations opener - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/02\/03\/let-battle-commence-preview-wales-six-nations-opener\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let battle commence - we preview Wales&#039; Six Nations opener - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"IT is every British rugby fan\u2019s favourite day of the year. At 2.30pm on Saturday, the 2017 Six Nations will commence, and for seven weeks, little else will matter. The tournament enters its 18th year since five became six, with a repeat of the greatest day in the tournament\u2019s history with the three 2015 Super Saturday match-ups locking horns once again. 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