Music on the floor: Italy 9 Wales 26: Davies and Cuthbert tries give Dragons comfortable win in Rome

By Matt Lloyd

PUBLISHED: 11:19 EST, 23 February 2013 | UPDATED: 18:00 EST, 23 February 2013

It may not be pretty but Wales are not about to give up their RBS Six Nations title without a fight. Gone are the swagger and flair synonymous with Welsh rugby and with it the days of glorious failure.

This is now a far more pragmatic Wales, putting substance before style and learning to win ugly. In torrential Roman rain, this victory was about as ugly as it gets.

Just as in Paris a fortnight ago, this display was about guts and determination to dig out the win as the scars of eight successive defeats begin to heal.

Full-stretch: Wales Alex Cuthbert break free clear of Kris Burton to dive over for their second try

Accurate: Wales' Leigh Halfpenny slotted over three penalties in the first-half

MATCH FACTS

Italy: Masi, Venditti, Benvenuti, Canale, McLean, Burton, Gori, Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Pavanello, Minto, Zanni, Favaro, Manoa Vosawai.

Replacements: Geldenhuys for Minto (54), De Marchi for Lo Cicero (54), Giazzon for Ghiraldini (54), Garcia for Canale(63), Botes for Gori (65), Derbyshire for Favaro (69), ittadini for Castrogiovanni (70).

Not used: Orquera.

Pens: Burton 3.

Booked: Castrogiovanni

Wales: Halfpenny, Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Roberts, North, Biggar, Phillips, Gethin Jenkins, Hibbard, A. Jones, Coombs,? Evans, R. Jones, Tipuric, Faletau.

Replacements: James for Jenkins (45), A.W. Jones for Coombs (51), Owens for Hibbard (51), L. Williams for Phillips (63), Warburton for R. Jones (68), Hook for Biggar (68), S. Williams for Roberts (70), Mitchell for A. Jones (73),

Tries: Davies, Cuthbert.

Cons: Halfpenny 2.

Pens: Halfpenny 4.

Att: 73,526

Referee: Romain Poite (France).

It does not make for pleasant viewing but in the end the outcome was the same and few will be complaining if they return to Cardiff to face England on March 16 for the title.

Wales are proving hard to beat and if not for their horrendous opening half against Ireland, would now be more than halfway to another Grand Slam.

The title, however, remains in their sights after another win on the road, their fourth in a row. Happiest of all will be defence coach Shaun Edwards.

Not since Brian O'Driscoll squeezed over at the start of the second half of their opening game have Wales conceded a try.

Edwards said: 'We have excelled ourselves in defence to keep a clean sheet for the last two games and the only points we have conceded have been from scrum penalties. But a big part of defence is also to create turnovers and chances for our attack, and we did that again.'

Wales also showed a ruthless streak. In France they had one scoring chance and took it; here in Rome they had three and scored tries from two, through Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert.

It was a measure of the game that when Davies touched down for the opening try after 44 minutes, it was his first touch of the ball.

A limited game swung in favour of Wales during a calamitous five minutes at the start of the second half, when Italy fumbled a clear scoring chance before Davies capitalised on a disastrous mix-up in the home defence.

Smash: Italy's Alessandro Zanni is tackled by Ryan Jones and Gethin Jenkins

Flower power: Wales supporters came in their numbers and some dressed up for the occasion

And the tie was ultimately decided while Italy's captain, Martin Castrogiovanni, watched from the sinbin after yet another scrum ended in a penalty.

Captain Ryan Jones said: 'It was a good day at the office for the scrum and we've got six very happy "lumpers" in the dressing room. But it was a great collective effort from all the forwards.'

Wales managed to silence the raucous home crowd with a promising start, though a penalty from the opening scrum allowed Kris Burton to cancel out Leigh Halfpenny's earlier effort.

Adam Jones, Richard Hibbard and Gethin Jenkins exacted their revenge with a series of devastating drives that twice enabled Halfpenny to kick Wales further ahead, to lead 9-3 after 20 minutes, though the lottery of the scrum allowed Burton to cut the gap before half-time.

Smiley: A delighted Jonathan Davies falls on the ball to give Wales their opening try

Given the handling skills, or lack of them, in the often torrential rain, it appeared the only way either side were going to score.

Cuthbert's fumble handed Italy an attacking position only for the home side to knock-on before Burton sliced his attempt to drop a goal.

Wales fared little better and Halfpenny pushed his effort wide before half-time then almost gifted Italy a try just 40 seconds into the second half.

Mike Phillips fumbled Burton's chip over the Welsh rush defence, Italy got a boot to the ball ahead of Halfpenny but Tommaso Benvenuti failed to collect, with the line at his mercy, under pressure from Dan Biggar.

Charge: Dan Bigger doing all he can to prevent Italy's Alberto De Marchi from an easy kick

Burton then sliced another drop-goal attempt from in front of the posts. Wales wasted no time in making the Italians pay. Biggar hoisted a speculative kick but had the tenacity to chase and regain possession.

Phillips capitalised on clear space behind with a clever chip and with Edoardo Gori and Burton looking to each other to sweep up, Davies picked up and touched down.

Burton clawed back a third penalty after Halfpenny had converted but momentum swung Wales' way when Poite brandished a yellow card for Castrogiovanni after yet another scrum went to ground.

Again Wales capitalised on the chance, kicking up field from where Biggar outfoxed the Italian defence with one well-aimed pass that found Cuthbert's angled run.

Italy could not lay a hand on the wing once he was clear and he darted into the corner for his seventh Test try.

Halfpenny expertly guided his conversion home from out wide and Wales were too smart - and Italy too limited - to make the final 19 minutes nothing less than a formality.