Italy and Wales locked horns in February 1998 at Stradey Park on the day of Ieuan Evans's final test. Italy continued to get closer to their first win over Wales, but the day really belonged to skipper Evans, who played on his club pitch in his seventy-second and final test.

This was also his one cap to be won as a Bath club player, the other seventy-one all being won with Llanelli. The crowd wanted to see a final try by Evans but he could not add to his tally of thirty-three. Instead, they saw a superb try by fellow wing Gareth Thomas. However, Italy came back into the match with two tries with Diego Dominguez adding four goals.

This was the first international match played in Llanelli for 105 years, while scrum half Robert Howley became the 112th skipper of Wales as he replaced flanker Gwyn Jones, who received a serious spinal injury whilst playing for Cardiff against Swansea two months earlier.