Wales wing Alex Cuthbert has hailed the Italian defence after his side's 24-3 triumph at the Millenium Stadium in the Six Nations this afternoon.
Cuthbert, who put the finishing touches on the win with a late five points, admits that the home team were expecting the visitors' work rate to be as "outstanding" as it was throughout.
"We knew it was going to be tough from the start," he told BBC Sport.
"We knew their work rate would be high in the first half. Their work rate was outstanding, to be fair. It was hard to break them down.
"We knew if we worked hard for the first half and second half, we knew we'd grind out the win."
With the win, unbeaten Wales remain on course for a Grand Slam.
