IT is unclear if Amnesty Intern- ational have been monitoring events at Wales's base in the Vale of Glamorgan after the unveiling of the players' schedule ahead of the game with Italy.

Pain would be meted out on a scale the recipients had not experienced before, Warren Gatland announced.

If players made mistakes, there would be punishments.

And the stage had been reached where the carrot would be supplemented by the stick.

Really, all it needed to complete the agony was for the whole squad to be sat down in the TV room and forced to watch Ian Wright on Live From Studio Five.

But that might have been taking things too far.

Still, you really do have to wonder.

You wonder if the infliction of pain will help Matthew Rees hit Jonathan Thomas in the line-out with unerring accuracy.

And you wonder how punishing Jamie Roberts will suddenly turn him into the footballing inside centre that Wales have lacked in this Six Nations.

But that is where we are at, with the coach telling the world how he plans to use manacles, the rack and thumbscrews on his players, if my admittedly ropey shorthand is correct.

Presumably there has been some punishment for the coaches as well, for it was their selection that failed to deliver in Dublin, and their game- plan that failed to yield anything like a decent performance.

Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley now believe Wales's players have to be ''coach-led'' because they are unable to lead themselves.

Spoon-feeding

So from here on in it will be a case of spoon-feeding them.

How will that feel for those who have won 70, 80 or even 90 caps, who have been part of two Grand Slams and who have played in several World Cups?

The coach has been a visible presence over the past six days, attending more Wales press conferences than many journalists.

He didn't exactly arrive wearing a T-shirt saying ''I'm in charge'', but you get the idea that he wanted to set the tone and leave no-one in any doubt that he felt the hurt of defeat as much as anyone.

That wasn't contrived.

In fact, acute perception isn't needed to realise that the New Zealander treats defeat as a stain on his character.

But his honeymoon is well and truly over.

That it lasted for more than two years was an achievement in itself, given the experience of his predecessor, Gareth Jenkins, who would probably testify that stones were thrown with the confetti.

''I've been getting plenty of advice, but I don't mind that,'' said Gatland when asked if he had found his friends deserting him post-Dublin.

''One of the things that I like about Wales is that people are really knowledgeable about the game.

''They are opinionated, and they deserve the opportunity to express those opinions.

''I could crawl away into my shell and hide away.

''But I don't want to do that.

''I'd like to think that as a player I was someone you'd want to be alongside if you were in the trenches.

''And I want to be like that as a coach.''

There are some who believe Wales face a no-win situation tomorrow.

They are wrong.

Sure, a defeat would lead to calls for the coaches to walk the plank, followed by the players, the team's bus driver, the bus driver's wife and the tortoise who resides in their back garden.

And a modest win would lead to the claim that Wales should be capable of seeing off Italy in Cardiff.

But if Gatland's team can go one better and destroy Italy they would close the campaign with confidence significantly repaired.

Wales did something similar more than 30 years ago, when they crushed Ireland 32-4 in the final game of the 1975 campaign, making up for a disappointing defeat in Scotland two weeks earlier and flagging up brighter times ahead.

Sure enough, silverware came flooding in over the following seasons.

This side has a long way to go to put themselves back in contention for trophies, let alone win them, but there are some pointers for optimism this weekend.

For a start, Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones are reunited in the front row for the first time since performing so superbly for the Lions in the second Test against South Africa last summer.

A front row, remember, that Phil Vickery was not so long ago hailing as the best in the world.

Further back, Ryan Jones reappears, with the powerful Gareth Delve among the replacements, while Mike Phillips resumes at scrum half.

The probability is some or all of the returnees are not match-fit.

But their presence should galvanise those around them.

And Gatland will also be pleased that he is able to name a bench that averages close on 40 caps a man.

Questions still remain.

Can the Kiwi and Robin McBryde oversee an improvement in the line-out, an area of Wales's play that former national skipper Brian Price has described as ''pathetic''?

And is it asking too much for the Welsh jumpers to not only win their own ball but also challenge effectively on the opposition's throw?

This is only Italy, remember, who have lost 17 of their own line-outs this season, the same number as Wales.

We could be in for a flashback to a low-quality women's tennis match from days of yore, with weak serves repeatedly being broken.

How much time will Roberts be given to show he can consistently impress at inside centre?

And is Sam Warburton really the diamond to compare with Martyn Williams, aka Nugget?

On a BBC online forum this week, one contributor appealed: ''Please drop Martyn Williams. He isn't good enough for international rugby anymore.''

Williams has been one of Wales's greatest ever players, yet here we had someone pleading for him to be axed.

For sure, you need thick skin to be a professional sportsperson these days.

Wales will also need Lee Byrne to settle quickly after last week's problems, while Stephen Jones is due a good game and Tom Prydie has a sink-or-swim challenge on the right wing.

Too many coaches have seen something in the Porthcawl youngster for him not to be a special talent.

But he is 18; miracles shouldn't be expected.

Italy are game enough and will battle, but France showed the Azzurri can be run off their feet by a side playing high- tempo rugby.

A thumping success would bring a measure of self-belief back into the Welsh ranks.

It wouldn't make up for the disappointments of recent weeks.

And it probably wouldn't lead to Gatland being chaired around the field.

But it would ease the pain and raise spirits for the challenges ahead.

Wales need to go for it.