For so long, facing Italy in the Six Nations - for any team - has prompted foregone conclusions that the Azzurri will be the losers. They had won just 12 tournament matches since joining the tournament in 2000 - before beating Wales by a single point in Cardiff to end their seven-year losing streak.
The shock 22-21 win means their miserable 36-game losing streak has finally come to an end, with their last Six Nations win before beating Wales playing out in Scotland in 2015 - a match which they won 22-19 at Murrayfield.
In the final round of the 2022 Six Nations, Wayne Pivac's men - who went into this tournament defending their title - became the first team to lose to the men in blue in seven years. Italy took an early 6-0 lead, led 12-7 at the break and just as Wales stepped up their intensity to take a final-quarter lead with a Josh Adams try, Italy hit back when winger Edoardo Padovani crossed in the final play after a superb break from full-back Ange Capuozzo, with Paolo Garbisi landing the match-winning conversion.
As for Italy's best Six Nations results, in both 2007 and 2013 they finished in fourth position with four points (two wins), marking their best two performances. In the 2007 campaign, the Italians hammered Scotland 37-17 at Murrayfield and then beat Wales 23-20 in Rome. In 2013, Italy beat France 23-18 at home and Ireland 22-15 at home. They also gave England a scare at Twickenham, only going down 18-11.
As for playing against Wales, the men in red had won their previous 16 games against the Azzurri in all competitions, winning seven of those by 35 points or more. Before the 2022 shock result, they had never lost at home to Italy in the Six Nations. Wales' previous two defeats came away from home in 2003 and 2007, and the only Six Nations draw between these two teams came in Cardiff in 2006.
