While it was a stirring effort from Wales against France, they ended up failing to score a try in a home Six Nations match for the first time since 2009.
Now, admittedly, they were facing a Shaun Edwards defence and plenty of teams have drawn a blank in trying to break through that Wigan wall.
But, moving forward, it is pretty apparent that Wales need to find a sharper cutting edge in attack.
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They made just the one clean break all night against the French, through winger Alex Cuthbert.
So they have to find a way of breaching that defensive line more often, be it through carrying or creativity.
They also still need to sharpen up at the breakdown because there were too many instances where excellent attacking positions came to nothing due to issues in that department.
With all of this in mind, what should the team to face Italy in the Six Nations finale look like?
Rugby correspondent Simon Thomas has come up with a radical suggested side which could just address the attacking shortcomings.
Back Three
Right now, Wales need someone who can create something out of nothing and find space where they didn’t appear to be any.
They also need someone with genuine gas who can turn a half chance into a try, leaving defenders in their wake.
In Louis Rees-Zammit, they have just such a player to call on.
He has responded really well to being dropped after the Scotland game, going back to Gloucester and scoring a beauty with his first touch of the ball against Northampton.
Then when he came on versus France he looked really threatening, with his quick feet and elusive running, making 25 metres on his three carries.
You have the sense he can scythe through a defence at any moment and Wales just can’t leave a weapon like that in reserve given their current lack of cutting edge.
On the other wing, Alex Cuthbert provides a different kind of attacking asset via his power.
He has delivered the most clean line breaks in the last two games, three of them in all, and given the shortage of carrying clout across the team as a whole you need him on board, with his ability to come inside and crash through the midfield.
Going with Rees-Zammit and Cuthbert means no place for Josh Adams.
He’s a quality player, but it just hasn’t quite happened for him during this Six Nations.
You sense he hasn’t really been helped by being shifted into the centre in two of the games.
He’s a top Test winger, but hasn’t been able to focus fully on that role amid the back-line shuffling.
There has been a bit of an air of frustration in his body language at times and there needs to be a firm decision made over where his positional future lies.
You can understand why Pivac wanted to try him in midfield because that conversion had gone so well in the case of George North, but Adams looks more effective on the wing and probably needs to be allowed to just concentrate on that berth.
As for the full-back position, Liam Williams has had a very decent Six Nations and was excellent under the high ball against France.
But with Wales needing to sharpen up their overall attacking game, this might be the moment to give Gareth Anscombe a run at 15.
That would provide a second playmaker and one who also offers a running threat, as well as a slick kicking and passing game.
In the past, teams have often looked for their inside centre to take on secondary distributive duties.
But now there’s a trend towards the full-back serving that purpose.
You see it with Beauden Barrett for the All Blacks, Willie le Roux with the Springboks and Hugo Keenan in the Ireland team, while Australia have done it with the likes of Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor.
It’s the way the game appears to be going and Anscombe is someone who fits the bill in the Welsh camp.
He was hugely effective for Cardiff at 15 when he dovetailed with Jarrod Evans in a dual-playmaker system that played a big part in the European Challenge Cup triumph of 2018.
Now might be the time for Wales to utilise him in the same fashion to see if that can help unlock the defensive door.
Back three: Gareth Anscombe, Alex Cuthbert, Louis Rees-Zammit
Centres
Nick Tompkins has been one of Wales’ stand-out players during the Six Nations and it was a real blow to lose him for the France game due to the concussion he picked up playing for Saracens.
He is likely to be available again for the Italy match and will surely come back into the side.
As a carrier, his leg drive in contact is all important in just gaining those extra few yards to get you over the gain line.
It means the supporting players coming in to clear-out are doing so with defenders on the back foot rather than arriving at a static situation.
That makes all the difference in terms of the rapid recycling that is so crucial when it comes to stretching the opposition to breaking point by not giving them the time to properly reorganise.
Tompkins also offers a passing game and a tireless work-rate, bringing a real energy to everything he does, while he produced a sharp finish for his try against England.
The question is who to pair him with in the centre?
Wayne Pivac has repeatedly chopped and changed in that department in search of the right combination, with the lengthy loss of George North coming as a real body blow to him.
So which way should he go against Italy?
Well, you just feel there is a need for greater creativity in midfield to counterpart and compliment the control and game management provided by Dan Biggar at No 10.
Looking at the available options, Willis Halaholo is the one player who does offer that with his side-stepping ability to break the line.
It’s been a really frustrating season for the 31-year-old who was hit by Covid in the autumn and then a hamstring injury during this campaign.
But he’s fit again now and he is someone who can just offer that different dimension in attack with his footwork, the way he can breach defences and the timing of his passing.
It’s worth remembering he combined pretty well with Tompkins in the victory over Australia in November and there’s a definite argument for re-uniting that partnership in a bid to find a way through.
Centres: Willis Halaholo, Nick Tompkins
Half-backs
With Tomos Williams having been in an alarming, staggering state after the bang he took to his head in attempting to tackle Jonathan Danty, you would think he would surely sit out the Italy game. You can read about that sickening moment here.
His replacement, Kieran Hardy, proved a livewire presence and does offer something a bit different with his kicking game, as demonstrated by that innovative up and under in the shadow of the French posts and a couple of intelligent grubbers down the tram-lines.
He also provides a sharp service to get the backs moving and there’s always that threat he poses with his quick tap penalties.
As for No 10, if you were being really radical you might consider Jarrod Evans, as he is the most naturally gifted fly-half with ball in hand in Welsh rugby.
There is simply no one to match him as a running 10, with his step, his eye for a gap and his pace off the mark.
But he’s out in South Africa with Cardiff and some way down Pivac’s pecking order when it comes to fly-halves.
Plus, it’s hard to argue against Dan Biggar continuing as the pivot after his outstanding display against France.
His tactical kicking game was just masterful. It gave them a territorial edge and so nearly produced what could well have been the match-winning try, via his pinpoint cross-kick to Taulupe Faletau.
As he prepares to win his 100th Welsh cap against Italy, he will bring all that experience to bear with the way he navigates the ship.
The question is who to select around him to add the cutting edge to his control.
Half-back: Kieran Hardy, Dan Biggar
Front Row
Ryan Elias has had a fine international season, doing a sterling job stepping into the shoes of Ken Owens.
But this might be the moment to give Dewi Lake a first Test start.
There are a couple of reasons for that.
He’s a really strong carrier and Wales need more oomph in that department.
At times, it just comes down to power and brute force when you are looking to crack a stubborn defence and Lake is a hard man to stop. He offers real clout in the collisions.
He’s also excellent over the ball and it’s pretty clear there’s a need to bolster the breakdown.
Moreover, the concerns over his lineout throwing have proved unfounded as he’s been good with his arrows when coming off the bench. So this could be the right moment to hand him the No 2 jersey for the first time.
As for the props, Gareth Thomas justified his selection at loosehead with his work around the field, making more tackles (11) than any other player in red, while also holding up his end at scrum-time.
If you are going for two relative rookies in Lake and Thomas, then you would want the vast experience of Tomas Francis alongside them, with the Ospreys tighthead having done a good job of anchoring the scrum against the French.
Then you would have Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias and Dillon Lewis to come off the bench, providing experience and, in Lewis, a welcome jackal as the game breaks up.
Front row: Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis.
Second Row
Clearly all the headlines at the moment are about Alun Wyn Jones and it might well be that the great man returns against Italy, demonstrating his Lazarus-like powers of recovery once again.
But it’s questionable whether that would be the best usage of this game in terms of looking to the future.
It would certainly be very harsh on Will Rowlands if he were to miss out because he has had a tremendous campaign stepping into Jones’ shoes.
There’s a strong argument that he has been Wales’ best player over the course of the four matches.
His carrying has been excellent, he has worked his socks off and he had a fine game at the lineout against France. He deserves to keep his place.
Personally, I would like to see him paired with Seb Davies, with the emphasis once again being on broadening Wales’ attacking canvas.
Davies did a very decent job at 6 against France, but his best position is second row.
He provides athleticism there, both at the lineout and around the park, while he has really come on in terms of his physicality both as a carrier and in defence.
But it’s with his handling ability and footballing skills that he would really add another dimension to the attack as a second row, a position where he performed well when starting there against Australia.
Wales need more players who are comfortable and creative with ball in hand and Davies ticks that box.
Second row: Seb Davies, Will Rowlands
Back Row
On the subject of Davies, he was selected at 6 against France to do a specific job and he did it well.
He was there to counter their lineout threat and height. Along with Rowlands and Adam Beard, he was very effective there, with Wales repeatedly getting a man up in front of Cameron Woki, who had reigned supreme up to that point in the Championship.
Woki was knocked out of his stride and the French lineout was disrupted. Job done.
Now, against Italy, there’s a strong argument for a different balance to the back row.
The breakdown, which was such a problem area at Twickenham, remains an issue.
All too often on Friday night, great attacking situations petered out, as Les Blues got over the ball to pilfer and pinch possession, either through turnovers or winning jackal penalties.
You could just see the delight of Shaun Edwards up in the coaching box as yet another key decision went the way of his team in the contact zone.
If you can’t retain and recycle ball, then you can’t build the phases that ultimately unpick defences.
So there is a need to bolster the breakdown.
With that in mind, I would like to see Jac Morgan come in to form a flanking pincer movement with Josh Navidi.
That would give you a real presence on both sides of the ball.
Navidi is one of the best in the business at the clear-out and he will be all the better now for having got another game under his belt.
Morgan can supplement him there, while the young Osprey is outstanding on opposition ball, with his ability to jackal and win turnovers or penalties.
To attack, you first need the ball and these two would really help on that front working in tandem, while both of them are effective carriers.
Navidi is a quality operator right across the back row, but I’ve always felt he is at his most effective as a 6, while Morgan is an out-and-out openside, a classic fetcher.
With the imperious Faletau in between them, it’s a back row that I like the look of and one that could really deliver in terms of winning ball and using it.
It would mean having one less lineout option, but it’s all about addressing the most pressing issues when it comes to finding a way to get that attacking game to click.
Back row: Josh Navidi, Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan
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