Wales centre Nick Tompkins has called on his side to produce an “emotional” but “controlled” performance against Italy in the Wooden Spoon decider.

The 2023 Six Nations has not gone Wales’ way despite the optimism sparked by Warren Gatland’s return to the head coaching role before the tournament.

Wales have had an array of off-field issues to deal with and have not produced on the field either, losing three from three.

The three consecutive losses put them in a tricky position when they face an Azzurri side that is constantly growing and developing and one that has the capacity to down Wales as they did last year.

Time to come together

Tompkins called on the group to unite against Italy and find a winning result.

“It is really important we come back with an answer – an emotional performance, but a controlled one,” Tompkins said.

“It’s important for this group to heal and be together in this time. We can’t turn on each other; we have got to do this all together. We are all in it.

“We looked pretty good (against England), and then at times in the second half, we let a couple of things slip and got caught in the kicking battle and didn’t really change it in our favour.

“There was a lot of fight from the lads, and especially this week it has been phenomenal how they’ve applied themselves.

“We have just got to keep building, pick ourselves up, just get better every day.”

The star of the show in Cardiff was Freddie Steward, who underlined his reputation as one of the best under the high ball with a magnificent man-of-the-match performance.

Credit to Steward

Tompkins credited his opponent for his performance and wondered if his side could have altered their approach during the game.

“Some of his catching was unbelievable. The way he controls the air is phenomenal,” Tompkins said.

“We didn’t change it, change how we were going to kick and not just kick it back to him, so we fell in that trip a little bit. That is something we will definitely be looking at.”

The centre wants all stakeholders to work together amidst the off-field issues in Welsh rugby, as the growth of the game and the regions is ultimately the most important thing.

“I hope things get done now,” he said. “There is a lot of respect going forward, and it is about keeping working together to make it a fair shake.

“We all want to see the game grow in Wales, and we all want it to be better. It’s not anyone against anyone.

“Let’s make these regions the best place to be, and let’s make Wales the best place to be.”

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