Wales beat Italy in Rome to secure their first win of the 2023 Six Nations

Gatland said he thinks the win is a “positive” but says “we’ve still got lots of work to do”.

Wales have won their first match of the 2023 Six Nations against Italy, avoiding their first wooden spoon in 20 years.

The final quarter belonged to Italy, with Wales finding themselves under considerable pressure, yet they had done enough to secure a first victory since Warren Gatland returned for his second stint as head coach.

It was only Wales’ fourth win in the last 16 Tests and the 29-17 triumph should give them a degree of confidence for next Saturday’s tough Paris assignment against France.

Reflecting on the game, Gatland said he thinks the win is a “positive” but says “we’ve still got lots of work to do”.

“I think the pleasing thing was that it’s the first week we’ve had in this campaign where we didn’t have things going on behind the scenes" he said.

"So just to have a week of proper preparation where everyone was just focused and concentrated on the rugby I think made a big difference.

"We’re off the Nice tomorrow and we’ve got a few days down there before we go to Paris and I think that’ll be great for the whole squad and continue to work hard and go there with some more expectations to do well in Paris against a good French team."

Gatland added, "I think we’ll get a lot of confidence out of today.”

Wales had their third consecutive Six Nations defeat against England at the Principality Stadium on 25 February.

Much has been made of the off-field dramas engulfing Welsh rugby which saw players threaten to strike amid uncertainty around their contracts. The regions' budgets are being slashed and players who are out of contract this summer are being offered significantly reduced salaries.

Gatland's side will face France next Saturday (March 18) at Stade de France on the final day of the 2023 Six Nations Championship.