FULL-TIME – WALES U20s 23 ITALY U20s 20 – Wales win Pool B, advancing to the final where they will play South Africa.
80 mins – Wales have done it! What a result for Wales who have really had to dig deep.
79 mins – Wales have a penalty and out the ball into the corner. They need to be accurate here
77 mins – We are into the final three minutes of this game. I won’t have any fingernails left by the end of it!
75 mins – WALES 23 ITALY 20 – What a kick from Joe Hawkins! He slams over a penalty from 45 metres on an angle.
70 mins – TRY – WALES 20 ITALY 20 – Italy finally turn pressure into points with Federico Cumineti crossing at the far left-hand corner. They fail with the conversion meaning we are level with just 10 minutes remaining.
68 mins – This is relentless pressure from Italy which results in Adam Williams being shown a yellow card.
65 mins – Italy are laying siege to the Wales try line but Wales’ defence is remarkable.
58 mins – Wales are on the attack with some sensational footwork from Hari Houston. They are trying to land the killer blow.
55 mins – You can feel the tension out on the field. Italy are really going for this but are met by a strong Wales defence.
52 mins – The scrums are a mess. Rhys Barrett is sent to the sin bin along with Italy’s Riccardo Genovese
51 mins – The momentum is very much with Italy at the moment. They look very dangerous in the wide channels, but Wales’ defence holds firm for now.
47 mins – Italy hold the upper hand and only a tremendous last-ditch tackle from Oli Andrew saves Wales.
Tshiunza & Jenkins in the second row for Wales. A phrase we might well hear repeated a lot over the next decade. A partnership of huge potential.
— John Pearce 🏴 (@JPearce_JP) July 6, 2022
41 mins – Powerful carry from Tshiunza and Mason Grady charges up the touchline, but a forward pass put an end to the move.
Italy get the second-half under way.
Oli Andrew in action
Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza make such a difference to this Wales U20s side with their power and athleticism. Both showing up well and have big futures ahead of them.
— Steffan Thomas (@Steffan_Thomas1) July 6, 2022
HALF-TIME – WALES 20 ITALY 15
40 mins – TRY – WALES 20 ITALY 15 – Christ Tshiunza takes the penalty quickly and shows remarkable strength to smash his way over the line for the try. Joe Hawkins adds the extras.
40 mins – Wales have another try disallowed with Joe Hawkins spilling the ball forward over the line.
39 mins – Italy full-back Lorenzo Pani is sent to the sin bin for taking out Hari Houston in the air.
39 mins – Wales have got their maul working well and have Italy under pressure.
36 mins – WALES 13 ITALY 15 – Italy retake the lead with a penalty from right in front of the posts.
Pure Power 💪
Massive score from @WelshRugbyUnion 👏#U20SummerSeries pic.twitter.com/sNfJ9dAolC
— Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2022
Much better from Wales. Nothing flashy just build, draw the penalty and take advantage.
What a try it would have been out wide though! #WalesU20
— Cardiff Rugby Life (@CardiffRugbyWeb) July 6, 2022
33 mins – TRY – WALES 13 ITALY 12 – Wales finally breach the Italian line with Nathan Evans making amends for his earlier yellow card as he powers over from short range.
32 mins – Harri Houston crosses at the corner. The ball is clearly grounded but the referee disagrees
27 mins – TRY – WALES 6 ITALY 12 – Italy shove Wales backwards at another scrum before Lorenzo Panni scores for the hosts.
First try 👊
Great hands from @FedeRugby 🔥#U20SummerSeries live stream ➡️ https://t.co/2brDcyS0lI pic.twitter.com/2jVZI8Sdfl
— Six Nations Under-20s (@SixNationsU20) July 6, 2022
Just in case anybody is wondering Joe Hawkins is Wales’ goalkicker today because Dan Edwards injured his knee against Georgia.
19 mins – WALES 6 ITALY 5 – Joe Hawkins nudges Wales back ahead with another successful penalty.
18 mins – Wales go back on the attack, and are now putting the Azzurri under pressure.
15 mins – TRY – WALES 3 ITALY 5 – This has been coming for a while. Italy shove Wales backwards in the scrum, and go wide. The ball goes through the hands with some slick handling allowing them to score at the corner.
14 mins – The referee has had enough with Wales prop Nathan Evans paying the price for conceding a series of scrum penalties. He will spend the next 10 minutes in the sin bin.
13 mins – Wales are under intense pressure and are coughing up scrum penalties. They need to be careful because they are getting on the wrong side of the referee.
11 mins – Italy cross the line. The referee consults with the TMO but he decides the player was “clearly” short of the line.
10 mins – Wales scrum gets shoved backwards. Italy now have an attacking lineout five metres out from Wales line.
4 mins – WALES 3 ITALY 0 – Joe Hawkins opens the scoring with three points from the kicking tee.
Very strong start from Wales with some aggressive counter rucking while they win a penalty from their first scrum
Dan Edwards get us underway
Now it is time for the national anthems with Mae hen wlad fy nhadau.
Both sides take the field here in Treviso for this crucial test match.
🏴 WALES | Good luck to the 5⃣ @Dragons_Academy aces who have been named in the matchday squad for @WelshRugbyUnion U20s clash with Italy tonight! 👏
Go well Nathan Evans, Ryan Woodman, Morgan Lloyd, Oli Andrew and Joe Westwood! 👊#WeAreGwentRugby pic.twitter.com/w2U5cWdUQL
— Dragons RFC (@dragonsrugby) July 6, 2022
Wales’ Ethan Fackrell has hit 42 rucks in the Six Nations U20 Summer Series this year, more than any other player, while teammate Dafydd Jenkins (39) has hit the third most; in fact, Jenkins has hit the most attacking rucks of any player this campaign (34).
Wales have won their last two matches and will be aiming to win three in a row in all competitions for the first time since 2016 when they completed an U20 Six Nations Grand Slam.
Got five minutes spare? Read our official match preview. Lets just say Wales U20s hooker Efan Daniel is pumped up for this one.
Wales and Italy are the top try-scorers in this year’s Six Nations U20 Summer Series (11 each); Wales (91%) and Italy (89%) also rank first and second respectively for lineout success rates this season.
Final prep for the forwards under the watchful eye of Richard Kelly#WalesU20s v 🇮🇹 7pm KO#U20SummerSeries pic.twitter.com/NINz7uN9RE
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 6, 2022
It will be no easy task for Byron Hayward’s side tonight. Italy U20s have won three of their last six matches against Wales U20s after losing 13 in a row previously.
