Steve Hansen is not a slave to emotion but he admits that, when the roar of the crowd has faded this evening and he contemplates his return to New Zealand over a beer in a quiet corner of the Millennium Stadium, he will be hit by a wave of sadness.
Hansen took over as the Wales coach from his compatriot Graham Henry two years ago. The team were locked in a downward spiral with the 10 consecutive victories they had achieved in 1999 a distant memory; he had to start again and only three of the first team he chose survive for this afternoon's encounter with Italy. One of the three, Iestyn Harris, was passed fit yesterday to return in the centre.
Hansen is linking up with Henry next month as one of his two assistant coaches with the All Blacks. He leaves Wales in better shape than when he took over, even if his record of 10 victories in 30 matches does not suggest a successful reign. Under him Wales have not defeated a nation ranked above them but they have pushed the top six close, twice in the case of England, France, New Zealand and South Africa, with Hansen believing Wales are on the verge of success.
"When I came to Wales I knew only a long-term plan would yield dividends," Hansen said yesterday. "I had to latch down the doors and prepare for a storm of criticism because it was not about making myself look good but doing what was right for Welsh rugby.
"A number of people were against my appointment because they saw me as an extension of Graham.
"While we are close mates and I like him a lot, we are different people and my approach had to be markedly different to his because I did not inherit a crop of world-class players."
Given that Hansen's inheritance to his successor Mike Ruddock is appreciably greater than what he received from Henry, does that reflect badly on his new boss?
"There was a lot that was out of Graham's control by the end," he said. "To succeed in rugby, or business, you need four things: quality administrators, a good management team, a development programme and world-class performers. Graham was a top coach and had some very good players but it is fair to say the administration of the Welsh Rugby Union was poor."
Another New Zealander, the Italy coach John Kirwan, is looking to give Hansen a losing farewell. The Azzurri have yet to win an away match in the Six Nations but they believe they have an advantage in the set-pieces and they will be fired by their World Cup exit at the hands of the Welsh.
But Italy will be without their veteran forward Carlo Checchinato, who failed a fitness test last night. Their captain Andrea de Rossi replaces him at number eight.
ITALY: G Canale; N Mazzucato, A Masi, C Stoica, D Dallan; R De Marigny, P Griffen; A Lo Cicero, F Ongaro, M Castrogiovanni, S Dellape, M Bortolami, A De Rossi (capt), A Persico, C Del Fava. Replacements: C Festuccia, S Perugini, R Mandelli, S Orlando, S Picone, R Wakarua, Mirco Bergamasco.
WALES: G Thomas; R Williams, M Taylor, I Harris, S Williams; S Jones, G Cooper; Duncan Jones, R McBryde, G Jenkins, G Llewellyn, M Owen, C Charvis (capt), M Williams, Dafydd Jones. Replacements: M Davies, B Evans, R Sidoli, A Popham, D Peel, K Sweeney, T Shanklin.
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa).
