THE yellow card proved all-important for the second game in a row as Wales eased to their first 44-20 points victory of this season's Six Nations Championship at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Last time out against France the sin-binning of Wales captain Scott Quinnell proved decisive.

Wales conceded 10 points while he was off which proved to be more than the difference between the teams at the end.

This time it was the Italians who were on the receiving end as another back row forward, Aaron Persico, was yellow carded early in the second half.

In the 10 minutes he was off Wales piled it on with two converted tries, one by Quinnell and the other Andy Marinos' first in international rugby.

With the almost perfect Stephen Jones -- he missed one kick out of nine attempts at goal -- converting both it put Wales out of sight.

A slightly uncomfortable 23-13 lead at the interval was transformed into a far more convincing scoreline.

The Italians suffered for their indiscipline while Wales profited in the best way possible. If they had played throughout the way they started both halves they would have won by around 70 points.

But though concentration wavered and Wales appeared to play in fits and starts, the end product was acceptable enough and it gives caretaker coach Steve Hansen some breathing space after the tumultuous events which followed Dublin a month ago. The improvement shown against France was maintained as the Welsh pack were better in the set pieces and showed more fluency behind.

But it was against Italy and there will have to be even further improvement if Wales are to push an England team which will be smarting after their setback against France. It took Wales just one minute and 32 seconds to get the scoreboard moving as Marinos, who enjoyed his best game for Wales so far, broke through and Craig Morgan won the race for the touchdown after a trademark kick and chase.

Though Dafydd James struck for another just 10 minutes later after a touchline burst by the impressive Nathan Budgett, Wales went off the boil for the rest of the half.

Though Jones kept the scoreboard ticking over by kicking three penalties, Italy grabbed a try themselves when number eight Carlo Checcinato crashed over after Gert Peens and Giampiero de Carli went close during heavy pressure.

With Ramiro Pez, deputing for Diego Dominguez, converting and kicking two penalties there were only 10 points in it at the interval.

But Wales came out as they did the first half, with a stinging try. It was the best of the match as Morgan suddenly opened up out of nothing from deep, but dashed down the left, transferred inside to Jones who put Rhys Williams, who had replaced the injured Tom Shanklin, away on an electrifying run for the line.

Then came the Italian sin-binning and two more Welsh tries, but then it all dried up again. The game was spoilt by a series of replacements, players running on and off with bewildering rapidity and it simply petered out.

Most interest in that rather desultory late spell centred around Iestyn Harris' introduction at full back. While he did make some telling incursions into the line he kicked badly as well, a fault England would punish severely.

Italy to their credit did manage a late try when Giovani Raineri, one of the replacements, took advantage of slack Welsh defence to pounce, Peens converting.

It proves there cannot possibly be any Welsh complacency because they were the first tries Italy had scored in this season's Six Nations.

Hansen clearly has got off to a reasonable start in charge with that narrow French defeat, seen in a better light after they denied England yet another Grand Slam, and a comfortable win against Italy.

But the pace and power of the game at Twickenham in three weeks will be of a far different order.

Scrum and line-out will have to improve, and the Welsh defence will need to tighten up. However satisfying it was on Saturday in a fairly limited way, it will be a totally different ball game next time.

Wales: K Morgan (I Harris 58 mins), D James, T Shanklin (R Williams 22), A Marinos, C Morgan, S Jones, R Howley (D Peel 52), I Thomas, R McBryde (B Williams 58), C Anthony (S John 76), I Gough (C Wyatt 52), A Moore, N Budgett, S Quinnell,captain (B Sinkinson 62), M Williams.

Scorers -- tries: C Morgan, D James, R Williams, S Quinnell, A Marinos; conversions: S Jones (5); penalties: Jones (3). Italy: G Peens, R Pedrazzi (A Benatti 67), M Bergamasco (F Mazzariol 65), C Stoica, N Mazzucato, R Pez (G Raineri 64), A Troncon, G De Carli, A Moscardi (captain), S Perugini (F Pucciarello), M Giacheri, M Bortolami (M Phillips 60), A Persico, C Checcinato, M Bergamasco. Scorers -- tries: C Checcinato, F Mazzariol; conversions: R Pez, G Peens; penalties: Pez, Peens.

*PICTURED: Iestyn Harris marches through the Italian defence.