Wales face the Azzurri in Rome a week on Sunday as they begin their search for what would be a first northern hemisphere title since 2013.
With seven uncapped players in their squad complimenting a hugely experienced spine to the team, Howley has reiterated the importance of a fast start in the Italian capital.
“We’ve spoken about our pedigree in the Six Nations – we haven’t won anything for three years,” Howley said, speaking at the launch of the competition in London earlier this week.
“It’s a focus for us and there’s a huge enthusiasm within the squad, as you’d expect at the start of any new campaign.
“We got over the line in three games in November and that can give you confidence going into the championship, but we are still looking for perfection.”
First up for Wales is a meeting with Conor O’Shea’s Italy and Howley knows his team must be ready to start with a bang.
“Whenever you play Italy you know you’re going to face a tough game, home or away,” he said. “Facing them first up there is certainly an extra motivation. They’ll certainly have an added spring in their step after beating South Africa and any side coached by Conor will be dangerous.
“Conor knows the Six Nations and they’re very experienced. They’ll be well prepared. It’s important we start well and that’s something we’ll talk about in the next week. We all know the importance of momentum.
“We know how strong Italy will be, but we’ll probably speak 20 per cent about them and 80 per cent about us. That will be the message going into the Italy game.”
Wales will be led by a new captain in Alun Wyn Jones against Italy, and Howley has praised the lock forward for the impact he’s already had as leader.
“Alun Wyn is a player who demands perfection and high standards and he’ll continue to do that,” he added.
“We’ve got standards we need to set and we’ve said there’s another level we need to go to and we want to see that in the next few weeks.
“Captaincy is important and I played with many great captains. Alun Wyn demands respect and leads the team both through his actions and motivation.
“He’s certainly put his footprint on training in the last few weeks. He demands excellence from everyone. I’m looking forward to working with him and I’m sure he’ll excel in the role.”
