Shane Williams believes that Wales have become victims of their own success this season. The pre-tournament favourites saw their hopes of first back-to-back grand slams in a century disappear in Paris last month, but they remain in contention to retain their title.
Whereas Wales improved with every game they played last season, they have only played in patches this year and they go to Rome to face Italy on Saturday knowing that they need to win emphatically, with the leaders Ireland having a superior points difference.
"We have yet to put in an 80-minute performance this year," said Williams, the Wales wing. "Teams have done their homework on us and I have found that whenever I have the ball I am closed down very quickly. We have played some great rugby, but we have also been average and we will need to put it all together against Italy.
"It is a ground where we have slipped up in the past, and while we are conscious that Ireland have a much better points difference than us, we have to get the job done first. The first 20 minutes against Italy are always very intense and we have to recognise that you will not score every time we have the ball.
"We learned a number of lessons from our defeat in France. We tried to play too much rugby when we were under pressure. It was not a case of not being mentally prepared, but where France did surprise us was being more effective in defence than attack and you have to vary your game against the top teams."
Wales were forced to make a change yesterday when the scrum-half Dwayne Peel was ruled out for a month after suffering a hamstring tear playing for Sale on Sunday. He has been replaced by Mike Phillips while the London Irish scrum-half Warren Fury is promoted to the bench.
"It is a blow for Dwayne, especially with the Lions' selection around the corner," said the Wales defence coach, Shaun Edwards. It is the third time this season that Wales have had to change their named starting line-up because of injury and Phillips's return means there are 10 changes, one positional, from the side that lost in Paris.
Edwards described the appointment of Saturday's referee, the Irishman Alan Lewis, as ironic. "Points difference is a massive factor going into our final game of the tournament against Ireland," he added. "Alan Lewis has refereed many big matches and with the provincial games on the Lions tour going to be controlled by a mixture of South African and European referees, there is, as is the case for the players, a lot at stake for him.
"Italy's position at the bottom of the championship does not tell the whole story. Two of the tries they conceded against Ireland came from interceptions and they did well at Twickenham in the second half. We know we have some improving to do and we are not going to make the mistake of trying too much too early."
