Hadleigh Parkes put in a man-of-the-match display as Wales recorded an impressive bonus-point win over Italy and claims the depth they have bodes incredibly well.
The centre was one of just five players retained from the starting XV that lost to Ireland in round three but there was no lack of continuity at Principality Stadium as George North crossed the whitewash twice, while Parkes, Cory Hill and Justin Tipuric also dotted down in a 38-14 triumph.
The victory moves Wales up to second in the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations table ahead of their final clash with France in Cardiff next Saturday.
Parkes was sublime in the centres on Sunday, bouncing off two defenders to scythe over the line for the game’s opening try after just four minutes.
He also made 56 metres from 12 carries, beat seven defenders, made 11 tackles without missing any and produced a sumptuous looped pass to release Tipuric for his try in the left-hand corner.
The 30-year-old also had a potential second try ruled out by the TMO after his stretch for the line was deemed to have come up just short.
“I thought it was a try but obviously the ref saw it differently! It’s nice that we still got that bonus-point try in the end. I’ve very happy with that,” said Parkes.
“It was a huge opportunity for a lot of the boys coming into the teams and also for Cubby (James Davies) to get a debut as well.
“It’s about building depth and I think Wales is going forward and it’s quite exciting.”
Attention will now turn to welcoming to Cardiff a France side that will be confident after their impressive victory over England in Paris on Saturday.
And with the runners-up spot there for the taking, Parkes is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“The battle to be runners-up is very exciting and it makes next weekend very exciting, doesn’t it?” he added.
“It’s going to be another big game – we wanted to end with two wins and we’re halfway there, so hopefully we can put another performance in. Getting another win would be very nice.”
