The Wales centre intercepted Andrea Masi’s long pass seconds after the restart to open the floodgates in the thumping Six Nations win at the Millennium Stadium.
And Shanklin celebrated his personal milestone in style to end a run of 10 Tests without a score.
Shanklin said: “It was brilliant leading the side out and it was definitely one of the most proudest moments of my career. I had my family in the crowd so it was great.
“The boys left me out there for too long and I didn’t really know what to do! It was then a real bonus to score a try as well. I haven’t scored in a while so it was great to get on the scoresheet.
“We had to work really hard because the Italians put up a real fight in the first half but our game plan worked. We spoke before the match about keeping the ball in play throughout and eventually we tired them out.
“Then the gaps appeared in the second half and we took advantage.”
Shane Williams’s brace in the second period leaves him just one try short of Gareth Thomas’s all-time Wales try scoring record.
And Shanklin predicts the wing wizard will achieve the feat before the end of the season.
“The way he is playing there is no doubt he will do it sooner rather than later. Shane is a world class player and the last two games have shown that massively.
“I was just trying to follow him about like a fly!”
But Shanklin warned about getting carried away ahead of the Triple Crown clash against Ireland in a fortnight.
He added: “We know how difficult the tournament still remains for us with Ireland and France still to come.
“We see that match in Ireland as key for us. Although they haven’t played well recently, they are a dangerous side.”
