Italy came to Cardiff on the back of a disappointing summer tournament in South Africa and an equally frustrating autumn but they rediscovered their magic at the Millennium Stadium.
The Azzurri made Alun Wyn Jones and co work hard for a 23-15 win in which the sides shared two tries apiece in the opening round of the RBS 6 Nations.
Parisse saw his side fight back from 17-3 down at the break to close to within a single score with just 10 minutes remaining as they showed the kind of spirit that brought home wins over France and Ireland in last year’s Championship.
“That was certainly one the best away matches we have played in the Six Nations, as was the one we played against England in 2013,” said Parisse, who missed Wales’ win in Rome last season through suspension.
“Twickenham and Cardiff are two very tough difficult venues against two very tough opponents. The way we played here sets the standard for how we expect to perform away from home.
“Before this match, we were really worried about the expectations of the young players in our backline as we conceded a lot of tries in the November Tests. We are happy with the performance over the full 80 minutes, although a loss is a loss so we’re not happy about the result.
“The referee penalised our scrum in the last few minutes when we were going forward and that gave Wales the chance to go eight points up. We were really frustrated with that.
“I’m really proud but we mustn’t just think that we’ve played a good game and that next week in France will be easier – it won’t – and we must keep working and keep building for the tournament.”
Italy stuck with the adventurous attitude they started to develop last term as they attempt to move away from the forward-dominated approach of previous campaigns.
Former Scotland U20 fly-half Tommaso Allan was at the heart of that ambition and Parisse was impressed with how the youngster performed on his first Six Nations appearance.
“For a young man, coming to the Millennium Stadium to face Wales is not an easy place to play. But he performed well. He tried to put some speed into our backline,” added Parisse.
“He had a lot of young backs around him as well so that wasn’t easy for him. But he produced a really good display and matches like that will give him lots of experience for the rest of his career.
“I hope that he can be the next fly half for Italy for a number of years to come. I expect him to stay and kick on, that is the idea. I think the coach gave him a good chance to impress and he took that. The tournament is a long one and he’s going to have a lot of chances to show his potential.”
