Six Nations: Wales recorded their highest home victory over Scotland for 14 years last weekend as they took their second step towards the Triple Crown, but head coach Warren Gatland has made six changes for next week's encounter with Italy in Cardiff, fielding new combinations at half-back and in the front row.

Gatland is not regarding Italy, who were a try away from beating Ireland and England in the opening two rounds, dismissively. Five of the incomers have more caps than the players they have replaced and, in the cases of the halfbacks Dwayne Peel and Stephen Jones and prop Gethin Jenkins, Wales have turned to players who were part of the 2005 grand slam side and were chosen by the Lions.

Mark Jones, who was dropped after the victory over England this month, reclaims the right-wing berth from last Saturday's debutant Jamie Roberts to win his 37th cap and the hooker Matthew Rees has played two more internationals than the previous incumbent, Huw Bennett.

Only at tighthead prop, where Rhys Thomas wins his fourth cap at the expense of Adam Jones, who is four short of 50, has Gatland not gone for experience.

If the call is hard on the outhalf James Hook, who has been the most creative influence in the Six Nations so far, Gatland wants him to watch the ebb and flow of the game from the bench to help improve his decision-making.

"James will be a fantastic player going forward," said Gatland. "He is very, very good in broken play: he has fantastic feet and makes brilliant little off-loads and sensational is the only word for some of his skills. What is important is balance: what we need with that free-spirited rugby is an element of control, something Stephen Jones brings."

Gatland said he has been surprised at the high skill level of his squad having been led to believe he was taking over a group of players whose grasp of the game's rudiments was badly lacking. "They are as good as Kiwis when it comes to skills like handling and passing," he said. "They are better in that respect than the Irish and English players I have worked with, but what they have to learn is to play with intensity under pressure and be more accurate."

One of the reasons Gatland gave for naming the side a week earlier than normal was to allow more time to prepare.

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