There was a time not so long ago when a trip to Italy was a welcome fixture for Wales during a Six Nations campaign. A chance to stretch the legs, let the handbrake off and bump up the points tally as they recovered from, or prepared for, bigger battles elsewhere.
This time around, however, it's the Italians who are favourites, with Warren Gatland's side heading to Rome looking for redemption having been humiliated in Cardiff a year ago before enduring a truly horrendous start to their Six Nations campaign, their worst since 2007.
It is hard to imagine how this year's championship could have gone worse for Wales, with all of the chaos and uncertainty off the field mirrored by the performances on it. An opening day disaster at home to Ireland was followed by a hammering at Murrayfield before they were overrun and outmuscled by England at the Principality Stadium.
