Another Allan penalty, his fifth, looked to ease any nerves but a run of late penalties at the maul against Italy became a problem, inviting Welsh pressure and eventually giving Matthew Carley no option but to award a penalty try and to sin-bin two Italian players, Marco Riccioni and Dino Lamb, within the space of a minute.
The incessant downpour in Rome reflected the sorry mood around this Wales side, peaking with a yellow card for veteran wing Josh Adams for a high tackle with considerable force on Paolo Garbisi which looked on first viewing as though it could have been red.
A highlight of Italy’s performance at Murrayfield had been how well Tommaso Allan had kicked for goal, and every penalty given up by Wales in their own half felt like three points.
Did the Italy captain Michele Lamaro, who so often had been questioned about the validity of Italy’s place in the Six Nations, have much sympathy for Wales?
The bookends of this Test match were when Wales played best, controlling the early kicking exchanges with good height on their kicks and hard work from their chasers, before grabbing two late tries thanks to their pack which added some flattery to the scoreline.
