Italy skipper Sergio Parisse is felled by Andy Powell and Rhys Thomas of Wales © Getty Images

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Matches: Italy 15 - 20 Wales

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: Italy | Wales

It hasn't been a Six Nations for gamblers. Italy boss Nick Mallett's experiment with playing Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half against England in the tournament opener met with widespread derision and now Wales coach Warren Gatland has joined in after his much-changed Wales side was run horrifyingly close by Italy in Rome.

With nine changes to the side that lost in France, Gatland's attempt to show Welsh rugby's strength in depth was shown to be something of a folly. Italy's limited game behind the scrum saved Wales' blushes as their makeshift pack was out-fought and out-manoeuvred by their more experienced Italian counterparts.

The worth of missing prop Gethin Jenkins, lock Ian Gough and openside Martyn Williams was underlined in Wales' impotence in the scrum and at the breakdown, conceding two penalties at scrum-time in the first half and failing to produce their usual quick ball at the breakdown.

Props John Yapp and Rhys Thomas and lock Luke Charteris all tackled manfully and were not caught out in defence, but a Welsh scrum being driven backwards at a rate of knots has become a rarefied commodity in recent times. It is a sight that Welsh fans won't have enjoyed and arguably one that they shouldn't have had to.

To keep their championship hopes alive Wales needed to win, and win well, in Rome but as it stands after Ireland's win in Scotland they require a 13-point win over the Irish in Cardiff next week to keep their hands on the trophy.

On paper the Welsh back-line would strike fear into the heart of any side in the tournament, but the promise shown by centre pairing Gavin Henson and Jamie Roberts never materialised. Roberts looked anonymous as Wales found themselves deprived of possession for lengthy periods, his powerful carrying from earlier games not translating into yards when tasked with the more expressive role of outside-centre.

If Wales took anything from defeat to France it should have been the importance of possession in the modern game. France's ruthless streak at the breakdown starved Wales of possession, sapping their energy with a relentless challenge to their defensive solidarity.

Wales pulled the same trick in destroying Italy at the Millennium Stadium last year, but seemed to be unaware of the concept this weekend. They were outfought on the floor and it was only thanks to two moments of class that they pulled out a narrow victory.

Shane Williams' opener was all down to fine work from Henson. The Ospreys centre slipped undetected from blind to open, creating the extra man in attack before slipping the ball to Williams. Their second was about pace and confidence. Tom Shanklin, hurting after conceding the penalty that saw Italy edge ahead late in the game, burst through the Italian defence after some excellent play from James Hook, crashing over and likely inking his name onto the team sheet for next week's championship decider.

In contrast to Gatland's experiment, Mallett's struggle with a ramshackle squad presents a more terminal problem. His skipper and No.8 Sergio Parisse was rightly named as Man of the Match after producing some sublime handling to complement his impressive running game but his invention in attack was not matched by his team-mates. Again it was the case that unless Parisse or the Bergamasco brothers, openside Mauro and centre Mirco, were involved Italy looked utterly incapable of unlocking the well-drilled Welsh defence.

Confronted with the flat Italian backs Wales will be wondering how they allowed the game to become so tight in the closing stages. Italy held out well and remained competitive for the full 80 minutes, but their lack of quality in the backs currently is a problem too far for Mallett.

His calls for an Italian side to be included in the Magners League are still at the planning stage and shorn of the rolling maul Italy are looking ever more like perennial Wooden Spoon holders. They have bags of heart and in Parisse one of the great players in the world today, but after losing out to one of the most scratchy Welsh performances in recent memory their confidence must be at rock bottom. Over to you, Mr. Mallett.