Wales...44 Italy...20: The dafffodil-bearing, flag-wrapped hordes went away happy, but rarely can a five-try victory by Wales have caused so little celebration.
For the home side, this was another small step on the road to self-respect after the Dublin debacle. "We've improved from before, and that's all I can really ask," muttered their coach Steve Hansen, who is clearly wary about any implication that he might be settling into the job he inherited. "You never ever arrive - if you think you've arrived, that's when you start to fall on your face."
In truth the Italians offered little meaningful opposition. Shambolic defending, and some spectacularly sharp play from the Welsh back line, meant that the wooden-spoon derby was effectively over five minutes after the break when Rhys Williams scorched 35 metres upfield to put Wales 17 points clear.
If Williams was surprisingly sprightly for a man who had spent hours the previous day being treated for a back injury, then Wales did not look like the team written off a month ago after a hammering by Ireland.
If Nathan Budgett was the pick of his forwards, Hansen's backs all looked confident with the ball in hand. Tom Shanklin departed early with a dead leg, but his first-minute hit on Mirco Bergamasco and his feed set up Kevin Morgan's chip-and-chase try. In that move, Shanklin's fellow centre Andy Marinos silenced his critics with one stunning long pass to Morgan, and he cleverly drew two Italian defenders for his first Wales try in the 55th minute.
As Italy slumped to their 12th straight championship defeat, the body language on the pitch said more about the state of Azzurri morale than all the rumours of internal tensions. Barely an arm was raised in joy after Carlo Checchinato's 21st minute try.
Another Azzurri statistic spoke volumes on Saturday: they missed one in four of their tackles. Trouble is, next up they face Brian O'Driscoll.
WALES: Morgan (Swansea; Harris, Cardiff, 59); James (Bridgend), Shanklin (Saracens; R Williams, Cardiff, 23), Marinos (Newport), Morgan (Cardiff); Jones (Llanelli), Howley (Cardiff; Peel, Llanelli, 53); Thomas (Ebbw Vale), McBryde (Llanelli; B Willia ms, Neath, 60), Anthony (Newport; John, Cardiff, 77), Gough (Newport; Wyatt, Llanelli, 53), Moore (Swansea), Budgett (Bridgend), M Williams (Cardiff), Quinnell (Llanelli, capt; Sinkinson, Neath, 63).
ITALY: Peens (Piacenza); Pedrazzi (Viadana; Benatti, Viadana, 68), Mirco Bergamasco (Padova; Mazzariol, Treviso, 66), Stoica (Castres), Mazzucato (Treviso); Pez (Rotherham; Raineri, Roma, 66), Troncon (Montferrand); De Carli (Calvisano; Lo Cicero, Toulouse, 49), Moscardi (Treviso, capt), Perugini (L'Aquila; Pucciarello, Gloucester, 69), Giacheri (Sale), Bortolami (Padova; Phillips, Viadana, 61), Persico (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Treviso), Checchinato (Treviso).
Referee: C White (England).
