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Wales ready for Italian job

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones gets his team together

Wales ready for Italian job

Stephen Jones is looking forward to Wales’ young guns taking the chance to end 2020 on a high with an Autumn Nations Cup victory over Italy on Saturday.

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Wayne Pivac’s side face the Azzurri at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli in what will be their final match of the calendar year.

Attack coach Jones has urged the players to impress both in terms of delivering a result and also a positive performance.

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“It’s a game that gives a lot of people opportunity and we are looking at those players to make the most of those opportunities,” said the former fly-half.

“We are looking for a good performance. We know how important the game is to us and the victory. We are under no illusions it’s of huge importance.

“The key thing is we know exactly how we want to play and where we have to get to go. We have got to work hard to make sure we achieve that.

“The ideal vision is we have to play with speed – it’s as simple as that. We have got to move ball quickly and identify where the space is on the pitch.

“A lot of people are talking about how the game is getting managed at the moment, but there is still space out there.

“Our challenge from an attacking aspect is to recognise that space and make sure we are set up in a manner to expose it.

“The variety to our attack has got to be key whether we want to be ball playing or attacking kicks to shape defences.

“It’s about being smart.

“That’s where we ultimately want to get to.”

Jones has been preparing a back-line for Italy which features Bristol’s Callum Sheedy at fly-half and George North of the Ospreys at centre.

“I am excited by it. George played centre for us in the Six Nations and did very well. He is physical and his distribution is very good,” Jones said.

“He is going to be involved more when he’s in the middle of the park so I see it as an opportunity for George. The best thing for us moving forward is we have a number of options.

“He has got a good skillset in terms of ball transfer. His passing mechanics are good and he is comfortable passing close to people. We also know he is comfortable on the collision side of things.

“It won’t be an issue for him.”

On Sheedy, Jones added: “He has been excellent. He has worked incredibly hard. He’s very diligent, a good professional, and has put a lot of time in with Neil Jenkins working hard on his kicking game.

“He has got a good temperament, good composure, and he’s comfortable on the ball. It’s an opportunity for him this weekend.”

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