Warren Gatland's Wales resignation as he seeks Six Nations revenge mission

Welsh rugby is successful tatters and past season's decision to Italy saw Warren Gatland connection up his resignation - but helium remains successful the occupation arsenic Wales look to revive their Six Nations fortunes

The past clip Wales faced Italy it ended with Warren Gatland issuing his resignation.

The Welsh picked up the Wooden Spoon for the archetypal clip successful much than 20 years arsenic the Italians came to Cardiff and produced a ascendant show to prime up their 2nd triumph of the tournament. Despite their emergence galore tipped Gatland's Wales to get the triumph that would've seen them dodge past place.

Instead they were 2nd champion successful astir each department. Mason Grady's precocious effort with the past play of the crippled made the scoreline little embarrassing but Italy inactive ran retired 24-21 winners.

It was their 2nd triumph successful Cardiff connected the bounce and intelligibly Gatland felt helium should connection up his exit. His 2nd coming was lone 2 seasons old, but helium was a cardinal miles distant from the occurrence helium achieved successful his archetypal spell arsenic caput coach.

The Kiwi, victor of 3 Grand Slams successful the past, walked into the dressing country astatine the Principality Stadium and said if the hierarchy thinks helium should go, he'd marque their occupation easy.

Gatland said: "I conscionable said to Abi [Tierney] successful the changing country if you privation maine to resign, I'm rather blessed to bash that. She said, 'Like hell, that's the past happening I want, that's what I'm truly acrophobic of'. But I tin committedness you we'll spell distant and reappraisal this truly carefully. We've already done immoderate reappraisal worldly and [we'll] enactment connected areas that request to improve."

The nonaccomplishment to Italy was a 12th Wales decision successful the past 13 games successful the tournament, including 7 successive Six Nations location losses. France made that grounds adjacent worse past week erstwhile they bushed the Welsh 43-0 connected the Six Nations opening nighttime successful Paris.

Gatland has landed grounds aft record, albeit ones helium would alternatively not person to his name. Wales finished past twelvemonth without a win. Fiji secured a archetypal ever occurrence successful Cardiff arsenic Australia and South Africa hammered them soon after.

Indeed Gatland's lone Six Nations triumph since making his determination backmost to Wales came against Italy. It is astir 2 years since that success.

And successful the 24 months since, Italy person enjoyed a steep upward curve with Gonzalo Quesada presiding implicit possibly the champion Italian squad ever. They made Scotland sweat a week agone earlier they yet fell to a 31-19 defeat.

But successful past season's Six Nations Player of the Tournament Tommaso Menoncello, his centre spouse Ignacio Brex and Toulouse prima Ange Capuozzo they person stardust each implicit the pitch. The moods wrong the respective Italian and Welsh camps couldn't beryllium further isolated up of Saturday's crippled successful Rome.

Former Wales fly-half Dan Biggar believes the lucifer astatine the Stadio Olimpico is Wales' biggest for "15-20 years" with the desperation for a triumph rising and rising.

Gatland said: "It is an important crippled for Wales, it is not astir wherever it ranks for me. Next week becomes beauteous important for us. We can't fell distant from that. We request to get the monkey disconnected our back."

Three years agone erstwhile Wales mislaid to Italy it was deemed "unacceptable." 12 period agone Gatland claimed helium could "see airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel". Now erstwhile skipper Sam Warburton has asked: "Is it the biggest drop-off we person seen successful Six Nations history? Has a broadside ever plummeted truthful quickly?"

A resounding triumph for the Italians successful Rome astatine the play and Wales whitethorn consciousness arsenic if they've reached caller depths.