Welsh head coach bursts into tears at final whistle as backroom staff comfort him

Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham appeared to break down in tears at the final whistle as his team avoided a Six Nations whitewash with a narrow late win over Italy.

Cunningham, who has faced increasing scrutiny during a difficult campaign, was overcome with emotion as the final whistle blew on the 22-20 victory.

A late try from Sisilia Tuipulotu was converted by Lleucu George to snatch the win Wales were so desperate to achieve after a torrid campaign just a year on from an impressive third-placed finish. Cunningham was comforted by members of his backroom team as he sat in the coaches box with his head in his hands.

The result was greeted by huge roars from the record crowd for a Wales Women's match, with more than 10,000 supporters inside the Principality Stadium.

Tries from front-rowers Carys Phillips, Gwenllian Pyrs and Tuipulotu secured Wales' first victory over Italy on home soil since 2012 in a tense encounter that clearly meant so much to the players and coaches.

Cunningham was mobbed by his players shortly after the final whistle as he gave a live TV interview to BBC Wales.

Before that he said: "It's massive. There is so much work and effort that has gone into this campaign and things haven't gone our way. It means so much to us all.

"It's been a tough campaign, it's not where we want to be but to get the win was huge."

You can read the full match report here.