Harry Beddall’s Wales U20 side will head to Italy for the World Rugby U20 Championship with some wind in their sails after rounding off their preparations with a magnificent seven try, 47-19 win over the host nation at the Arms Park.
There were five tries in a thoroughly convincing first half performance that included two superb scores from Bristol Bears wing Aidan Boshoff, while two more flowed from a much changed line-up after the break.
Coming after the 47-14 defeat to reigning champions England at Pontypool Park a week earlier, it was a more upbeat and complete performance that will give head coach Richard Whiffin many positives to ponder before announcing his squad on Tuesday.
Wales will face Argentina in their opening game before going on to play France and Spain in the pool stages.
Whiffin was able to use 29 players in the final friendly fixture and his players delivered a far more convincing scoreline than they had done in beating the Italians earlier in the year in the U20 Six Nations.
They scraped home on that occasion, but were always the dominant force on home soil.
Boshoff gave Wales the perfect start as he ran onto a neat cross kick out of his 22 by Harri Ford and raced 70 metres to score in only the third minute. Ford added the extras.
The Italians were quick to respond as scrum half Nicolo Beni snapped up a loose ball on half way and sped up the right touchline.
He was hauled down just short, but 10 phases later the second row Tommasso Redondi crashed over for a try that Roberto Fasti improved.
Dragons scrum half Logan Franklin was forced to leave the field with a thumb injury after only 11 minutes. He was replaced by Sion Davies and a scan on his hand will reveal the extent of the damage.
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Ioan Emanuel converted a driving line-out into the second home try moments after Italy had wing Matteo Morel sent to the sin bin, but this time Ford’s conversion attempt went wide.
The next score was a penalty try as referee Lucas Yendle adjudged Beni had knocked the ball out of the hands of Osian Darwin-Lewis as he attempted to send Boshoff in on the overlap.
After consulting with his touch judge the referee ran to the posts and sent Beni to the bin to reduce the visitors to 13 men for a short period.
Boshoff’s wing partner Ioan Duggan then got into the action as he stepped inside of the right flank to score a smart try.
Ford’s conversion stretched the lead to 19 points, but back came Italy as they made the most of a charge down of scrum half Davies’ clearance kick at a ruck in his 22. Hooker Alessio Caiolo-Serra bagged the score and Fasti kicked the conversion.
Wales were enjoying most of the possession and momentum, but the Italian scrum was proving a small sticking point. They also gained some success at the breakdown, winning a number of penalties.
But Wales were in no mood to settle for the half-time whistle and Boshoff brought the crowd to its feet with a spectacular dive into the left corner that would have challenged Simone Biles for a top mark on the gymnastics floor.
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To add to the moment, Ford nailed the touchline conversion to make it 33-14.
To their credit, Italy almost added a third try in the final move of the half, but the scoring pass was adjudged to the excellently placed referee and the home side were able to head to the sheds with their heads held high.
The second half saw both teams make huge changes, with Whiffin able to send on outside half Harri Wilde to prove his fitness after recovering from a hamstring injury.
He was the only change at the start of the second half, but the rest of the alterations merely proved how much strength in depth the head coach has at his disposal this year.
After seven tries in the first half there were only three in the second. Wales picked up two of them as Darwin-Lewis drove over at the posts moments after the re-start and then Duggan raced out of his 22 into clear water and went the length.
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Wilde converted both to complete a job very well done. Italy scored their third try in the last move of the match through replacement hooker Sasha Mistrelli, but it was far too little much too late to make any difference.
Scorers: Wales U20: Tries: A Boshoff (3, 33), I Emmanuel (15), Pen Try (18), I Duggan (26, 64), O Darwin-Lewis (43); Cons: H Ford 3 (4, 27, 34), 2 H Wilde (44, 65). Italy U20: Tries: T Redondi (9), A Caiolo-Serra (28), S Mistrelli (80); Cons: R Fasti 2 (10, 29)
Wales U20: Jack Woods (Bath); Ioan Duggan (Dragons), Osian Darwin-Lewis (Cardiff Rugby), Steff Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby), Aidan Boshoff (Bristol Bears); Harri Ford (Dragons), Logan Franklin (Dragons); Ioan Emanuel (Bath), Harry Thomas (Scarlets), Sam Scott (Bristol Bears), Dan Gemine (Ospreys), Luke Evans (Exeter Chiefs), Deian Gwynne (Gloucester), Harry Beddall (Dragons, captain), Evan Minto (Dragons)
Reps: Sion Davies (Cardiff Rugby) for Franklin 11; Harri Wilde (Cardiff Rugby) for Ford 41; Tom Cottle (Cardiff Rugby) for Gemine 45; Lewis Edwards (Ospreys) for Boshoff 49; Evan Wood (Pontypool / Cardiff Met) for H Thomas 55; Louie Trevett (Bristol Bears) for I Emanuel 55; Jac Pritchard (Scarlets) for Scott 55; Nick Thomas (Dragons) for Evans 55; Ryan Jones (Dragons) for Beddall 59; Caio James (Gloucester) for Gwynne 59; Keanu Evans (Scarlets) for Minto 59; Elis Price (Scarlets) for S Emanuel 59; Carwyn Legatt-Jones (Scarlets) for Woods 62; Sion Jones (Scarlets) for Darwin-Lewis 71
Italy U20: Gianmarco Pietramala; Matteo Morel, Riccardo Ioannucci, Alessio Pensieri; Roberto Fasti, Niccolo Beni; Christian Brasini, Alessio Caiolo-Serra, Bruno Vallesi, Simone Fardin, Tommaso Redondi, Nelson Casartelli, Francesco Garlet, Giacomo Milano (captain)
Reps (all used): Sascha Mistrulli, Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, Luca Trevisan, Nicolo Corvasce, Sergio Pelliccioli, Luca Rossi, Matteo Bellotto, Francesco Braga, Nocilai Varotto, Jules Ducros, Nicola Bolognini, Antony Miranda, Nicola Bolognini, Jules Ducros, Mattia Midena, Damien Mori
Referee: Lucas Yendle (WRU)
