ALEX BYWATER: Josh Adams and Wales won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019… now, he wants his side to be ruthless against Italy as the threat of finishing BOTTOM for the first time in 21 years hangs over them

Josh Adams won 16 of his first 20 tests with Wales after making his debut in 2018.

He quickly settled into success at international level, winning a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019 and then becoming the top scorer at that year’s World Cup as his team reached the semi-finals.

Now Adams and Wales are on a run of four consecutive defeats in 2024. Warren Gatland’s side have lost 11 of their last 12 Six Nations matches.

Unless they beat Italy, they will finish bottom of the Championship table for the first time since 2003.

‘Sometimes you learn the best from your losses, but there is nothing to learn until you show improvements the following week. Otherwise there’s no point,” Adams said.

Adams won a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019 and was top scorer at the World Cup that year

Wales will finish bottom of the Six Nations for the first time since 2003 if they fail to beat Italy

‘I won my first Test at home against Scotland, I lost away to England at Twickenham, and then I didn’t lose for nine Tests.

‘I was on a team that didn’t know how to lose. That’s the kind of place we need to get to now – where it becomes second nature and we understand how to close games. It’s an important week for us. It would be great to finish with a win. We really want and need that. You obviously don’t want a wooden spoon. It’s a new experience for a new team.’

When Adams first appeared on the international stage, Wales were a winning machine. They briefly rose to number 1 in the official World Rugby rankings.

Nowadays things are very different. Gatland has a rookie team at his disposal. These are difficult times in the Welsh game. And Italy ran out 22-21 winners on their last visit to the Principality Stadium in 2022.

In years past, Wales were used to competing for a Grand Slam and the Six Nations title on ‘Super Saturday’. In 2024 the pressure is on again, but for a different reason.

“Pressure when you’re in a game to win something feels a little different,” 28-year-old back Adams said.

“There is something at the end, while this is a situation where we cannot afford to lose. International rugby is a cutthroat business and you have to perform at your best every week.

Italy defeated Scotland, drew with France and only narrowly lost to England in the Six Nations

“We have to have the mentality that international rugby is about winning. We have not yet succeeded. We are desperate to win. Italy has improved very well.

‘I fought a relegation battle in the Premier League with Worcester. We lost our first seven games of the season and were miles adrift. It came down to a match against London Irish, where pretty much whoever wins would be left standing. This is similar in a way.

‘You have to embrace it. Don’t shy away. We need the mentality to tackle this and end up with what we think we deserve from this, which is a good win.