Gatland says Italy clash now 'pretty important' for Wales after France rout

Warren Gatland says Wales cannot hide away from the importance of a Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome after they were thrashed 43-0 by France on Friday. 

Gatland watched on as his side suffered their second-heaviest loss in the Six Nations, with their 43-point defeat only beaten by a 54-10 hammering by Ireland back in 2002. 

France were helped by the impressive display of Antoine Dupont, who became the first player to provide a hat-trick of try assists in two separate Six Nations matches (also four v Italy in 2021). 

He has also now assisted 20 overall in the Championship, with only Conor Murray (29) notching more try assists (Finn Russell also on 20) than the French superstar. 

Wales, meanwhile, have lost their last 13 Tests in a row, extending their record losing run, with next Saturday's clash at the Stadio Olimpico potentially viewed by many as a wooden spoon decider, even at this early stage.

"It is an important game for Wales. It is not about where it ranks for me," Gatland said.

"Next week becomes pretty important for us. We can’t hide away from that. We need to get the monkey off our backs.

"The players have worked hard over the last couple of weeks and the players are aware of how important next week is."

Wales will travel to Nice on Saturday to spend a week preparing for their clash against Italy, who face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, but could be without some key players.

During their thrashing against France, Wales lost number eight Aaron Wainwright and centre Owen Watkin in the first half, with the former suffering a blow to the head. 

Watkin, meanwhile, picked up a suspected serious knee injury that requires further assessment, an issue Gatland believes will rule him out of the rest of the tournament. 

"They are not looking great," said Gatland on the injuries sustained by his two Wales players against France. 

"Owen is in a brace on his knee, and it looks like it could be an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and Aaron needs another HIA (head injury assessment) and has quite a nasty gash in his face down through his lip."

Despite the crushing defeat, Gatland revealed he was encouraged by aspects of Wales' display, saying: "I can't question the effort of the players. 

"They are disappointed. They realised what a quality side they were up against.

"I don't think it was a completely bad night at the office. There were times when we had them under pressure and didn't capitalise.

"We started well, but when we look back, we have put ourselves under pressure at times by over-playing. That is the game-management the players will learn from tonight."