“It’s going to be tough”- Rees-Zammit states Wales will face the best Italian side ever.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026 at 18:00

byHarry Tovey

Wales, despite positive performances against Scotland and Ireland in their most recent outings, are still on track to claim the wooden spoon.

Full-back Louis Rees-Zammit admits that Wales’ last match of the 2026 Six Nations is ‘probably’ against the best ever Italian side.

This is because the Azzurri head to the Welsh capital following a first-ever victory against England in Rome last Saturday, and for the first time in the Six Nations, they will be aiming for a third win in the tournament.

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Wales have not claimed a victory in the championship since facing Italy in March 2023, a losing streak that was extended last Friday evening in Dublin against Ireland, with a 27-17 defeat.

This was despite a spirited performance against a poor Irish outfit. But the question is now, do they play Italy at the perfect time or come Saturday night, will Wales finish their third Six Nations tournament without a win?

Speaking on welcoming Gonzalo Quesada’s side to Cardiff, Rees-Zammit said:

“With the way they are playing, it probably is (the best Italian side ever).

“They’ve beaten Scotland and England, so it’s going to be a tough test.

“We know what we’ve got to do to get those wins within the game that will help us to put on a really good performance that can get us a lot of winning moments that can ultimately help us to get that win.”

“They are a very physical side. They play with a lot of emotion. I don’t know how England played, or if they were at their best, but we know they are going to be a very physical side.

“That’s one big thing we pride ourselves on, which is our intent to get off the line and start hitting people. It’s going to be a really good match-up, and then it's how we can play with the ball.

“We haven’t shown that too much, but come this weekend at home, getting our fans into the game by playing some nice attacking rugby, it will be good.”

Since returning from the NFL, the Bristol Bears player hasn’t enjoyed the best of Six Nations returns as Wales struggled to get going at the start of the championship.

Defensively, Wales thrived in their previous two contests, but attacking-wise, it’s been frustrating for the speedster. On the frustrations of not receiving much ball, he added: “I want to try and get as many touches as possible in games.

“But I don't think we've had that many attacking sets, to be honest with you, throughout all the games.

“Our forwards have been very good the past two games, with their carrying and even Rhys Carré has scored a fair few. But we'll get there. As a group, this is Steve's first campaign. We're trying to set an identity.

“Obviously, he's a defensive coach, but I think you've got to sort out your defence first and then your attack will come. Because you don't want to be giving up 50 points and then having to try and score 51 points.

“I think as soon as you can start defending sets over and over again, then you can start working on your attack. You'll get the ball back, which we weren't obviously doing in the first two games.

“But in the most recent games, I think, we've been in the game for a lot longer.”

Rees-Zammit was part of the Welsh side's that shipped 102 points against England and France, but even in their thumping loss to France, they showed promise.

After an agonising loss against the Scots and a pointless trip across the Irish Sea, it’s an uphill battle to stop the drought of losses.

A bonus-point victory on Saturday afternoon could see Wales level with England, but Steve Borthwick’s side has a positive points difference, and even if they suffer a loss in Paris, they are more than likely to remain above Wales.

But, compared to the last two campaigns in the Six Nations, there’s a sense of real optimism for this Wales side moving forward. They’ve shown glimpses, but can’t seem to get over the line. Following the championship, Wales face Barbarians at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, before clashes against Fiji, Argentina and South Africa in the summer.

“100 per cent,” said Rees-Zammit on whether Wales can start turning positive performances into results.

“I think the past two games we should have won them both. But obviously, two very good outfits in Scotland and Ireland, who have been together for a long, long time.

"Same coaches have been there for years. We are just building, and I said it after the France game, we've just got to start trusting each other, and I think we've really started to do that in the past two games.

“That's why we've been able to put performances on that have been exciting for not just us playing, but people watching as well."