Rob Howley insists Wales will not be complacent when they get their Six Nations campaign underway against Italy on Sunday.
The last two meetings between the countries in the competition have ended with Wales scoring more than 60 points, most recently securing a 67-14 win in Wales last March.
But Howley says a combination of it being Wales' first match since the autumn and the weather in Rome makes this weekend's game a much tougher proposition.
"Have you seen the weather in Rome at the moment?" Howley said. "It's changed dramatically over the last 24 to 48 hours. It's been raining and there's more forecast on Sunday.
"I was just thinking back to when we have started tournaments well and achieved momentum. That's our goal, to go over there and start this tournament well.
"Alun Wyn Jones made a fantastic point to me about the experience of the team, saying it puts pressure on those players who have been selected. We have picked experience but they have to go out and play.
"The side that's been selected has about a 70 per cent winning ratio in the Six Nations. They know what winning looks and smells like in the Six Nations, and that's the challenge on Sunday."
Howley avoided selecting any of his uncapped squad players for the match but admitted discussions over the team were long and hard.
"It took a long time to select the team. We believe this is the best team to start the tournament. We are against a very competitive Italian side away from home in the Six Nations. We have gone with a lot of experience," he added.
"We believe the majority of those players - 10 out of those 15 players started the game with South Africa - gave a good account of themselves, from a winning perspective, during the autumn period and it's important we start well, hence the selection."
All 10 games of the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand will be shown live on Sky Sports, starting June 3 2017.