Wales newcomer Nick Tompkins has revealed the reason behind his emotional celebration after scoring his first international try.
Tompkins enjoyed a first half cameo as a temporary replacement for Johnny McNicholl, who had to go off for a head injury assessment.
He was then brought on as a permanent replacement in the second period and made an instant impact.
The 24-year-old impressed with his general performance and capped it off with a blistering score on the hour mark.
Cory Hill made the initial break before Tompkins received a pass from Dan Biggar, racing through a gaping hole in the disorganised Italian defence before burning off full-back Matteo Minozzi.
After a roaring celebration, Tompkins pointed upwards to the sky.
“[That was] for my gran – she’s the reason I’m here,” the Saracens centre said.
Tompkins qualifies for Wales through his Wrexham-born grandmother Enid.
On his initial fist-pumping celebration, Tompkins added: “I had no control over that.
"I went blank. That celebration was emotion and probably a bit of anxiety and relief all together.
"It was one of those I’ll never forget. I just wanted to get on and contribute, do well.
"You don’t expect stuff like that to happen. It's unbelievable."
The new man was one of the standout performers on what was a good night for Wayne Pivac in his first Test match in charge of Wales.
He made 84 metres with seven carries in 40 minutes and his fizzing pass beat the defence in the build-up to Josh Adams' first try.
The man himself felt getting the unexpected cameo in the first half helped settle the nerves.
"I calmed down, sat on the bench and said ‘OK, that’s the level, you’re OK, you can do it’.
"It was a blessing in disguise."
On the last few weeks, he added: "I was anxious coming into a new squad with new guys and everything like that but the coaches have been brilliant, the players have been brilliant.
"And I’m not just saying that – they’re really accepting, they’re proper good lads and taken me under their wing.
"We’re all hungry. It’s a new challenge with the new coaches and stuff. We’re all heading in the right direction.
"The attitude is brilliant – the players we’ve got, good leaders who are going to keep us on the right track.
"So I think if we stay hungry and keep improving, keep wanting to improve, we’ll be alright.”
