It wasn’t quite the perfect start to the RBS 6 Nations for Wales, but for the first time since 2014, it was a winning one, writes Fraser Watson.

And in the eyes of former Welsh winger Shane Williams, Sunday’s 33-7 win over Italy at the Stadio Olympico was a victory that interim coach Rob Howley and his players can take a lot of confidence from ahead of their huge clash with England at the Principality Stadium this Saturday.

Despite a bright start, the Welsh trailed the hosts 7-3 at half time, but a much improved second half display saw them run in three tries, only narrowly missing out on a bonus point.

“We (Wales) started very positively, played in the right areas, kicked well, and made it very difficult for Italy,” said the 39-year-old, who worked as a commentator for ITV out in Rome.

 “But then we seemed to lose our shape and run out of ideas before half time. At that point you just had your fingers crossed for any type of win.

“The boys composed themselves second half though and then really lifted the tempo. We scored three good tries and the side can take a lot of confidence from the way they finished.”

Indeed, had a combination of desperate Italian defence and the Test Match Official not denied Liam Williams a try in the corner from the game’s final play, Wales would have returned home as the first side ever in the tournament to claim a four-try bonus point.

And Williams said the extra incentive for attacking was certainly evident as Wales turned down a number of kickable penalties in the early stages.

“The initial priority is always to win but you could certainly see the intent to try and get the bonus point – and the way we played in the second half we were unlucky not to get it.

“It would have been very handy but that was always the difficulty with playing Italy first. I fear that teams playing Italy later in the tournament will be more likely to go all out and get the four tries if they need to.”

Wales were forced into one significant half time change, as Sam Davies replaced the injured Dan Biggar at outside half during the interval, and Williams listed the latter as one of the side’s standout performers.

“Justin Tipuric was everywhere and you had to be in the stadium itself to truly see just how much ground he covered.

“Sam Warburton played very well too and I thought Sam Davies looked good when he came on. He took the ball to the gain line and looked comfortable doing it.

“It was good to see George North finish that try like he did and overall, there was a lot of good performances, especially second half.”

Prior to the tournament, Williams had tipped Ireland to head into their game with England on the verge of a Grand Slam, a theory that was subsequently blown out the water with Scotland’s stunning 27-22 win over the Irish at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“They thoroughly deserved the win,” he said.

“You could see Scotland’s intent from kick off – they were positive and played with an ease that’s been lacking in recent years.

“They closed the game out and it’s a result that has really opened the competition up.”

Another close game was to follow on Saturday at Twickenham, with pre-tournament favourites England edging out France 19-16 at Twickenham.

However, Williams doesn’t think the struggles the reigning Grand Slam holders had in beating the French will have a bearing on Saturday’s clash in Cardiff.

“It’s been seen as a slow start by England but France played particularly well and haven’t had the credit they deserve for it.

“You can’t take the fact that England didn’t run away with it as a sign that they are vulnerable. They are a class side and we will have to be at the top of our game to beat them.”

And while he stopped short of predicting an outright Wales win Williams, who famously scored in the fixture in 2005 en route to a Welsh Grand Slam, said he hoped home advantage may be a decisive factor.

“It’s always a big advantage for Wales to play England in Cardiff and the crowd will be up for it. But we still have to perform and I think it’s going to be as close as ever.”

On April 1, the inaugural Tour De Shane will take place in Pembrokeshire - a cycling event to raise funds for the The Velindre Cancer Centre. For more information, or how to enter eith the 50 or 70 mile routes on offer, visit www.man-upuk.com/tour-de-shane.