Italy player ratings vs Wales | 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations

Italy player ratings: Italy’s dream of clinching a third Six Nations win ended in a brutal reality check, one that should raise some questions, mainly about their inability to hold onto the ball.

While Wales deserve applause for a 31-17 display of will and power, the Azzurri were far from the level they showed before today, with their first loss in Cardiff since 2020.

Tommaso Menoncello was a class for the visitors, but the centre was one of the few that looked focused on the task at hand. Here’s how the players rated:

1. Danilo Fischetti – 5
The Italian scrum was far from their best, and while Fischetti wasn’t the one to blame for its struggles, he shares some of the blame. The prop worked tirelessly off-the-ball, giving his all at every new ruck or tackle, but the absence of a dominating scrum limited Italy’s attacking strategy.

2. Giacomo Nicotera – 4
A nightmarish 50 minutes for Nicotera. Several failed lineout throws, more than a couple of missed tackles and nothing to show for as a ball carrier, the Stade Français hooker endured quite the ordeal in Italy’s closing game of the 2026 Six Nations campaign.

3. Muhamed Hasa – 5
Shares the same woes as his front-row partners, which isn’t surprising. Despite making seven successful tackle attempts, it wasn’t enough to save him from an uninspiring evening.

4. Niccolò Cannone – 7
In what was unquestionably Italy’s worst first-half in this Six Nations, the eldest of the Cannone brothers was rock-solid, completing three turnovers and a lineout steal, besides making more than nine tackles.

Didn’t for a single minute stop believing that Italy could come off as winners, working tirelessly in every phase, ruck and set-piece, being one of the few that left the game with his head held high.

5. Federico Ruzza – 7
Alongside Niccolò Cannone, Ruzza was one of the few Italian forwards putting out a positive performance, especially in his defending and counter-lineout duties.

Tremendous around the breakdown, Ruzza was Italy’s main enforcer, making more than 15 tackles, being one of the few Italians to match Wales intensity.

6. Michele Lamaro – 6
Made the steal that propelled Italy to their first real attacking opportunity and was crucial in two instances that denied the Welsh maul to gain good ground, pouring all of his soul and body into what was an excruciating game for Italy.

7. Manuel Zuliani – 5
Off day for the Benetton enforcer. Conceded two penalties in the opening 25 minutes, with both ending in Welsh celebrations. While Zuliani did end as one of his side’s top tacklers, he was also bounced off by Aaron Wainwright, while looking slow in getting back up.

8. Lorenzo Cannone – 6
Mixed bag game for the Benetton wrecking ball. With Italy unable to hold onto the ball for most of the game, Lorenzo Cannone never had a proper chance to strike the Welsh defence with his full power, despite completing 45 carrying metres. As for his input as a defensive operator, the No.8 put on an ironclad performance, successfully landing two breakdown turnovers that gave his side a bit of air.

9. Alessandro Fusco – 4
As had already happened the last time he was in the starting lineup, Fusco struggled to make an impact, with the scrum-half unable to string his team’s attacking strategy together and missing the timing in several instances. With Italy juggling to get a foothold in the game, Fusco needed to be at his best, something that didn’t happen and proved decisive in today’s outcome.

10. Paolo Garbisi – 5
It looked like it was going to be a good day for Paolo Garbisi, but the fly-half’s kicking game was simply not there. Although he had the best intentions, the RC Toulon maestro seemed to go off script, which didn’t bode well for the Azzurri. To make matters worse, the No.10 missed an easy penalty that could’ve been key to give some confidence to a lacklustre Italian side. Although he assisted Tommaso Allan’s try and bagged a finish of his own, it was too little too late to make any impact on the scoreline.

11. Monty Ioane – 4
A handful of handling errors, a try that was (rightly) chalked off, and a few defenders beaten. Didn’t compromise in the aerial battle but missed the mark in a few runs that had some potential to drive Italy forward.

12. Tommaso Menoncello – 8
A beacon of hope in Italy’s worst moments, Menoncello tried his best to steer his side towards a third win, but his team kept stacking up mistakes, making the centre’s efforts useless. At the end of the day, the ‘touched by God’ ran more than 108 metres, broke the line twice and evaded seven defenders beaten, pulling another superb Six Nations performance.

13. Juan Ignacio Brex – 6
Tried to set his centre pairing towards glory, but the Welsh centres and back-row trio had his number figured, targeting Brex consistently, which in the end proved to be the right strategy. Despite his best intentions, Brex was a dud for the visiting side, giving away several knock-ons that only benefited the Welsh side. However, he was formidable as a secondary tackler, coming in to rescue Louis Lynagh and Lorenzo Pani in two instances.

14. Louis Lynagh – 4
Besides a few great aerial contests, Lynagh had little to show for when the game came to an end. Louis Rees-Zammit overlapped the Benetton speedster in a few instances, but thankfully, Brex was there to provide some cover.

15. Lorenzo Pani – 3
A misfiring performance from Zebre’s rising star. Beyond the two penalties conceded – something for which he was not solely responsible. Pani seemed lost in how to approach Wales kicking strategy and how to deal with the opposition’s outside back trio.

Replacements
16. Tommaso di Bartolomeo – N/A
Far better than Nicotera, di Bartolomeo fixed some of Italy’s first-half issues regarding the lineout and its exit. Unfortunately, he came off fifteen minutes later due to an injury.

17. Mirco Spagnolo – 5
On the same level as Fischetti, although the Italian scrum started to operate in a better fashion.

18. Giosuè Zilocchi – 5
Just like Spagnolo, he entered the match, and the Italian set-piece performed better during his time on the field.

19. Riccardo Favretto – N/A
Came in with 10 minutes to go.

20. David Odiase – 6
A good jackal and more than a few dominant tackles for the young back-rower seemed intent on leaving a good impression.

21. Stephen Varney – 6
On a completely different level compared to Fusco, Varney ignited some of Italy’s best plays, giving more fuel to a team that seemed tired until he came on.

22. Leonardo Marin – N/A
Same as Favretto, came on with 10 minutes to the final whistle.

23. Tommaso Allan – 5
Scored a try and looked better as a game manager, making more than a handful deep kicks to push Wales back.