That’s all from me, folks. The reigns of the Six Nations MBM are being passed, for one match only, to the estimable Scott Murray. Join him for France v Wales right here. Also he supports Scotland, so be nice.
Cheers for reading and for your emails. I’ll be back for Ireland v England tomorrow. Bye!
Make no mistake. This is a dreadful, devastating loss for the Scots. The most talented side in a generation, one that’s been touted as a future challenger in the championship. They just can’t find a way to stop losing. Italy, one player aside, were second rate opposition, but it’s the same again from a team that do not learn. Ill discipline, over exuberance and moments of sheer idiocy such as Horne missing that late penalty to touch. The electric Stuart Hogg, the indomitable Blair Cowan, the front row that won a scrum penalty with two minutes to go were moments from being heroes. Instead, they’re part of a collective of chumps.
Up next for Scotland: England and Ireland. Their prospects of avoiding the wooden spoon – for all their blistering talent, for all the worldly wisdom of their much-vaunted coach – are poor.
Full-time: Scotland 19-22 Italy
Oh Scotland. Oh Scotland. Allan knocks over the conversion to signal the end of the match. Hamish Watson, incidentally, was sin-binned for collapsing that maul. Sergio Parisse, the magnificent captain and one of the very, very finest Six Nations players of all time, collapses to his knees. He’s dragged his injury-ravaged side of apparent no hopers to a famous win. As for Scotland... well.
Updated
80 min With 10 seconds left on the clock, the forwards pick and go and pick and go. Parisse is at the fore, they go for the maul. Watson drags it down and the referee goes under the posts!
Penalty try! Scotland 19-20 Italy!
Oh my god!
79 min Greig Tonks, the Edinburgh stand-off and one-time Northampton Saints flop is on. Italy win the lineout, they drive to within a metre and the ball goes to ground. Slow going...
78 min McLean kicks to touch on the right, just outside the 22. My apologies to Stuart Hogg; it was Horne who missed touch. Italy win the lineout, get the rolling maul going and the debutant Toolis drags it down. Yellow card, into the corner from Allan.
77 min a bit more Scotland go off their feet at a ruck. Another penalty on halfway...
77 min Down goes the scrum... and it’s a penalty to Scotland! Handbags ensue; I imagine the Italy pack, so dominant in the scrum, are not happy about that. The decibel level at Murrayfield just rose roughly tenfold. Hogg misses touch with his clearance though.
76 min It’s now five minutes since this scrum was awarded.
75 min Down it goes, penalty Italy. Surely another scrum is the decision? That was awesome from the Italian pack; Scotland’s pack imploded like a collapsed shopping mall.
74 min again Italy put the power on and the scrum comes up. George Clancy calls for a reset rather than penalising the Scots, whom I suspect were at fault. Huge pressure on Geoff Cross and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne who replace Murray and Laidlaw now. The rain is coming down hard.
74 min In comes the drive, they’re up to the line... over the line and it’s held up. 5m scrum to Italy.
73 min Into the corner it goes. Huge moment this: it’s been a dreadful match in terms of actual quality but this is rather exciting. Furno wins at the front...
72 min Manici, the replacement hooker, finds his man at the front of the lineout. They go to ground though and can’t get the maul going. Oh now they have one when they pick and go. Scotland are into it from the side and it’s another penalty to Italy.
71 min Italy get the penalty they wanted when Scotland stand up in the scrum. Allan finds touch on the left, 20m from the Scotland line.
70 min More changes, as Brown replaces Ford at hooker and his first throw doesn’t even resemble straight. Swinson is also off, replaced by the debutant Ben Toolis. Scrum Italy on halfway.
69 min Now Matt Scott, who appears to be on, looks to attack from deep. You can’t fault Scotland’s endeavour, but it’s been dreadfully executed. Horne kicks ahead and Italy counter. They’ve got lots of space out wide on the left as Furno takes it up, but the Newcastle man throws his pass straight over the winger and into touch.
68 min Italy kick off, Scotland kick it back, Parisse carries it into contact on halfway, a series of rucks between the two 10m lines ensues. You know how it goes. Gori then adds a bit of flavour with the chip over the top.
Updated
Penalty (Laidlaw 67) Scotland 19-15 Italy
The first points of the second half!
66 min Now they go right and get it through the hands. Sadly Alasdair Dickson knocks and we’ll go back for the penalty for offside, under the sticks.
65 min A wee bit of ground made and at long last the penalty advantage.
64 min Into the 22 they go as players fall off the maul, to the extent that by the time they use the maul consists solely of Cowan. Scotland keep it tight here, looking for the penalty. They’ve made absolutely zero ground.
63 min A brief pause while Biagi gets some treatment, then Harley wins the lineout and Scotland look to maul it forwards.
62 min The excellent Favaro is off, Samuela Vunisa comes on. It’s a good scrum from Scotland but Parisse comes away at the base of it. The angle suitably improved, Gori box-kicks to touch but only makes about 7m past his own 22.
61 min Hogg goes on a mazy run into the Italy half before Cowan carries it on, breaking the tackle and making good ground. They go through the phases and Lamont pops the inside ball to put Hogg in, but it’s a clear forward pass.
60 min Minto wins the lineout but this is horribly slow ball. Gori sends it up and Seymour takes, then Scotland go left and Hogg sends a lovely miss-pass out to Bennett on the wing. Italy drag him down but Scotland have the momentum now.
59 min McLean’s clearance goes out on the full, but Swinson is offside and we go back for the penalty. Allan finds touch on the halfway line, on the left.
58 min Scotland win it at the front as Italy sub both their props. Really slow ball for Scotland and Dunbar gets absolutely nailed on the 22. They keep it... for a moment at least before De Marchi snaffles a loose ball on the floor.
57 min Hogg finds touch on the left about a metre or two inside the 22. Good chance this, or it would be if Ross Ford was remotely reliable.
56 min More scrum resets. Let’s read another email from Robin Hazlehurst. “Hmm, sorry about that, this has gone downhill a bit since I said it was full of exciting running. At least they’re trying though, even if they’re not really succeeding. Outside of the scrums, where nobody ever even pretends to try these days, do they.”
You’re a prescient one, Robin. Italy penalised for collapsing the scrum.
55 min Seymour carries up to the Italy 10m line but he’s stripped and Italy get the scrum again on the ground. Favaro has had a really good game at the breakdown.
“Afternoon Dan.” Afternoon, Simon McMahon. “Having stayed up to watch the cricket the other night, this much I know. If there’s a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, Scotland will find it.”
54 min Scotland restart and Parisse gathers, kicks ahead and makes the tackle on halfway. Laidlaw sends up a high one and Parisse, again, catches it. Italy go left along the line and Seymour charges up to make an excellent tackle on the last of the famous international playboys Morisi. Kick tennis follows.
53 min Allan will kick for goal from 30m or so, right in front. A great chance to take the lead, but he pushes it wide to the right. This is really poor now.
52 min Scrum = penalty. Neither side is looking for anything else, to be honest. Parisse was controlling it at the base, not looking to pick up and Gori was stood miles back.
51 min Edinburgh’s Hamish Watson comes on for his debut in place of Beattie. He’ll go to seven and Cowan to eight.
50 min The scrum is an unholy mess but at least the ball comes out. It’s loose and Biagi hacks ahead. Scotland gather and look to fling it along the line but this is of woeful quality. A knock-on and Italy get a scrum midway inside the Scotland half.
49 min This is better from Bennett as he uses strength and pace to burn off Visentin down the left wing. Italy manage to scramble back in defence though then win the turnover and scrum on the floor.
48 min Scotland win clean ball but Favaro puts in a huge hit on Harley to halt their momentum. An exchange of kicks, then Hogg throws a pass behind Dunbar. A slow, dumb show for you, this.
Updated
47 min The scrum is good from Scotland too and Italy are penalised for wheeling it for the second time today. Hogg sends a great big high kick to touch on the Scotland left. I can’t remember a single scrum that hasn’t ended in a penalty or free-kick today.
45 min Great defence this time from the Scotland forwards. They hold the ball up off the ground and win the scrum.
“Is there any way some rules can be changed so he could play on the next Lions tour?” asks Richard Reynolds, not unreasonably. “Some Italian medieval dukedom that still technically counts as part of the British Isles for instance?”
44 min Italy change: Tomasso Allan replaces the limping Haimona. Italy maul into the 22.
43 min Scotland win the lineout but drop the ball on the 22. Italy hack clear and Horne sends a poor chip into the hands of McLean. He kicks, then the Scottish 10 finds touch just short of his own 10m line.
Robin Hazlehurst writes: “I bet on Scotland to win by 7 in this because I figured their indiscipline and their running would cancel each other out - didn’t expect collapsed scrums to pay a seven point penalty though. Feeling fairly happy with that as a final prediction now. Both sides running and making it more exciting than the biff and bosh coming up in today’s second match.”
42 min McLean goes to first receiver and gets his three-quarters attacking the line from deep. Furno holds on in the tackle though and Hogg kicks the ensuing penalty to touch on the 22, on the left. Here’s that second Italy try, by the way.
41 min Here we go, Haimona kicking long into the 22. Horne returns with a long kick to McLean, who gives it to Parisse. The captain goes into contact just inside the Scottish half and Italy go probing for gaps. No changes at half-time, incidentally.
Half-time: Scotland 16-15 Italy
Italy haven’t really created anything at all, yet find themselves within a point at the break. Vern Cotter, I imagine, will be delivering his youngsters the mother of all bollockings in the interval.
Updated
40 min Scotland go desperately hunting the turnover but the tackler fails to roll away and it’s a penalty. Haimona misses touch and Horne returns the kick to McLean. One last chance for Italy to counter and they carry up over halfway, McLean gaining ground once again through the middle. The full-back has been Italy’s best player in this half, Parisse aside. The clock is red now so Italy try and keep it alive, but then Chistolini is penalised for going into a ruck at the side.
39 min Hogg steps through a couple of tackles down the left then it goes right. Hogg kicks to McLean, who counters and Italy have a sniff of an overlap down the left. Scotland’s drift defence shuts that down quickly enough though.
Updated
38 min That was really sloppy from Scotland, allowing the winger to get to that ball first. Italy take in the restart and Haimona clears long to Hogg.
Converted try! Scotland 16-15 Italy (Venditti 37)
That’s brilliant from the winger! He catches the bouncing ball and stretches to ground it against the bottom of the posts. Haimona won’t have a better dreadful miss than that.
Updated
37 min From around 14m infield and just outside the 22, Haimona somehow drops his kick short. There’s a mad scramble for the ball under the posts and we’re going to check with the TMO to see if this is a try!
35 min Another Italy penalty as Scotland collapse the scrum.
34 min Italy work it infield and go through the phases. Biagi thinks he’s broken through out of a ruck from 25m, but the ball bounced to him off of the referee so Italy have a scrum.
33 min Haimona finds touch about 13m inside the Scotland half on the right. Ghiraldini finds Biagi at the front and it’s another mighty impressive driving maul, with Parisse at its heart.
32 min Nine missed tackles already by Italy. They’ve handed Scotland a fair few gifts already, including this one.
In fact it’s been given as a knock on and Italy have a scrum. And a penalty from the scrum as Scotland engage too early.
31 min After several phases Scotland go left but juggle it into touch. Bennett is in fact lucky not to return the interception favour to Haimona.
30 min Not gathered cleanly but this leads to a broken field and Horne looks to exploit this by dashing up to halfway. Scotland have momentum now and they’re knocking the Italians back in contact – no mean feat – and they’re in Italian territory now.
Updated
29 min Italy chip over the top but it’s read well by Lamont and he shifts it to Bennett outside of him. The centre grubbers ahead but Italy are well positioned to gather and take it up to their own 10m line. Probably not the place to be chucking it around, this and Gori eventually kicks high.
28 min Haimona switches to the short kick-off and Cowan claims. Hogg sends it up high, tight to the right-hand touchline and McLean takes a great catch.
Penalty (Laidlaw 27) Scotland 16-8 Italy
Easy. But, Murrayfield, there is no excuse for playing Chelsea Dagger under any circumstances in 2015.
26 min Quick ball from the lineout and Seymour, then Cowan take it up on the crash. Italy are offside and it’s an easy penalty this for Laidlaw, on the 22 and 5m to the right of the posts.
25 min Italy are penalised for wheeling the scrum. Hogg, midway between halfway and his 10m line, kicks down the left and finds touch around 15m upfield. He had no angle to work with there.
24 min Laidlaw steps off the back of a ruck, round Haimona and looks for the gap. He’s caught and tries the offload, but Gori knocks it to ground looking for the interception.
23 min Quite frankly that Parisse pass was too good for his teammates. Ghiraldini couldn’t read it, which is a shame as it took three Scotland defenders out of the game. Carlos Spencer would have been proud. Scotland win the scrum and take it into contact in midfield.
22 min Scotland play advantage but then kick it back to Italy, who go through the phases between their own 10m line and halfway. Parisse steps down the left touchline and makes ground, but Ghrialdini knocks on after the number 8 slips him a glorious pass out the back of the hand.
21 min Haimona, from the centre of the pitch, kicks to touch on the left on the Scottish 10m line. Ghiraldini’s throw finds his captain and Italy shift it quickly along the line, but Venditti spills it.
20 min This is good from Scotland, carrying it up the left and breaking the gainline. That is, until it’s moved inside and Bennett gets isolated and holds on in the tackle. He’s hurt his ribs too, to add injury to insult.
19 min The ball goes loose from the restart in the Italy 22, but it was knocked backwards and they eventually secure it through, of course, Parisse. Scotland are doing a good job of putting Gori under pressure here and he has to sling it back to Haimona, who clears long to Hogg. Scotland run it back up to the 10m line.
Penalty (Haimona 18) Scotland 13-8 Italy
A nerve-settling kick for Haimona, whose place kicking hasn’t been up to much in the first two rounds.
Updated
17 min Scotland knock-on at the restart and then Cowan plays the ball from an off-side position. 37m out, right in front, Haimona will look to cancel out those three points.
Penalty (Laidlaw 16) Scotland 13-5 Italy
Easy it is, 30m out and right in front.
16 min A much better lineout. Scotland get clean ball and Horne takes it up to the line and shifts it left to Seymour, who makes ground through the middle. He’s such a good passer of the ball. Minto goes off his feet and this is an easy kick for Laidlaw.
14 min Not a great lineout from Ford and Italy secure scrappy ball. Haimona clears to Hogg, who returns a high ball but it’s too long and Haimona calls the mark. The big Italian stand-off clears to touch down the left, on his own 10m line.
13 min Dunbar chips towards the corner and after a moment’s hesitation, Visentin gathers. Scotland wrap him up but the dependable Parisse comes in and secures the ball. Gori clears but can’t get it out the 22.
12 min Hogg restarts with a long kick and Italy run it out of the 22, but Furno turns it over!
11 min Haimona misses the conversion from wide on the right. Italy had 13 men in that driving maul!
Try! Scotland 10-5 Italy (Furno 10)
It’s taken at the front by the Scottish-born Biagi. They maul towards the line brilliantly from 20m and Scotland can’t keep them out! Great instant reply from the Italian forwards, but Sean Lamont will be kicking himself.
Updated
9 min Lamont makes a mistake, carrying the ball out of play when taking the restart inside his 22. Good position for the lineout this, for Italy.
Converted try! Scotland 10-0 Italy (Bennett 8)
Italy take it into contact on halfway then move it right along the line. Haimona looks to send out a long pass but Mark Bennett intercepts and runs in unchallenged from 50m! Laidlaw knocks over the extras from in front of the posts.
Updated
7 min Horne kicks long to McLean, who returns the kick. Horne calls the mark and kicks long to Haimona and Italy sling it right, then left across the pitch without really getting anywhere.
6 min Fed up, Clancy awards Italy a free-kick from which Haimona fails to find touch. Scotland carry up to halfway, then Dickinson is wrapped up.
5 min George Clancy, incidentally, is the referee. He’s not happy with the two packs at this scrum, resetting it twice already. Sigh.
4 min Overthrown by Ghiraldini and Cowan takes the ball cleanly at the back! Scotland move it left, but then Jonny Gray knocks on in the tackle.
3 min Scotland gather Haimona’s restart and pass it along the line inside their 22. Dunbar gives Morisi the slip and accelerates down the right, carrying all the way into the Italy half. After a couple of phases Laidlaw chips over the top and finds touch on the right, inside the 22.
Penalty (Laidlaw 2) Scotland 3-0 Italy
Well that didn’t take long. From around 30m, just to the left, the only non-Glasgow back in the Scotland side slots the kick.
1 min A chance for Scotland immediately as Favaro enters a ruck from the side after Italy claimed the kick-off.
Peeeeeep! Stuart Hogg kicks off in red. RED!
From our man at the match:
Scotland and Italy walk out together. How civilised #6Nations
— Michael Aylwin (@mdmaylwin) February 28, 2015
Anthems time. I’m sorry to say Murrayfield sounds a touch flat today. I suppose Italy don’t exactly get the pulse racing these days.
A tweet! And a prediction!
@DanLucas86 Scotland will win but not by much, in my humble opinion. Italy should be up for this game as its the only game they might win
— Eamonn Quinn (@EamonnQuinn89) February 28, 2015
Weather watch: It’s dry in Edinburgh and the rain should hold off until the end of the match, which is good news for Glasgow’s Scotland’s backs.
Scotland by 10, for me. Your predictions?
It’s arguably the most important round of the championship this weekend. England v Ireland looks like the title-decider, this evening’s clash between France and Wales the 3rd/4th play-off and this one the wooden spoon match.
On another note I’ve just realised why my dad called Italy’s outside centre “that miserable bastard”. Here’s my favourite Morisi song:
A philosophical thought for you to ponder, courtesy of my colleague Scott Murray: “Imagine being really good at rugby, then turning out to be Scottish” he suggests. I reckon that’s the only way you can ever hope to empathise with Gareth Bale.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. Like Kennington on the southbound Charring Cross branch of the Northern Line, it’s all change. There are 11 in all, across the two starting line-ups, from two weeks ago for what definitely isn’t a wooden spoon decider.
OK let’s not kid ourselves. This is a wooden spoon decider, or at least as close to one as we’re going to get. Scotland have been decent enough and could – nay, should – have won their opening two matches against France and Wales. Alas they are a talented, but naive, young side. Like some snot-nosed kid who got an A* maths GCSE finding he can’t do the “hard” level of Sudoku in the Metro.
Still, they should beat Italy today. I said two weeks ago that it wasn’t imperative for them to beat Wales, but it really is today. Vern Cotter’s side need to turn improved, entertaining performances into cold, hard results at some point before the World Cup and they won’t get a better chance than this.
Sorry to keep banging this drum, but Italy are dreadful. Yes, they scored three tries against England, but England did opt not to defend in that match. It remains one win in 14 months. It remains zero away wins in almost three years. It remains eight years without an away win in the Six Nations – their only one of those was against an unrecognisably worse Scotland.
It cannot be overstated how important a Scotland win here is. Lose and they’ll end up bottom of the pile and all their good work since the summer will be for naught. Their remaining fixtures before the World Cup are England, Ireland, Ireland again and France. There’s no doubt this is their most winnable fixture before their opener again.
There are four changes to the team that lost to Glenn Jackson’s whistle if you believe bitter whinging conspiracy theorists Wales. Two of them are enforced, with Finn Rusell’s suspension opening up a spot for Peter Horne at fly-half and Richie Gray’s injury meaning that Tim Swinson comes into the second row. It’s not a Sunday today, so Euan Murray is available once again and replaces Geoff Cross. Finally Tommy Seymour has recovered from a hip injury and replaces Tim Visser.
Six! Six whole changes for Italy! Because why the hell not? They need to do something. Enrico Bacchin makes his debut in the centre as Andrea Masi is injured, while fellow debutant Michele Visentin comes on for the also-knacked Leonardo Sarto. That means this is the centre partnership that was so woeful for Treviso against Northampton earlier this season, shipping 67 points. Dario Chistolini comes in for Martin Castrogiovanni, who got bitten on the nose by a dog and on the other side of the scrum Matias Aguero replaces Alberto De Marchi. Joshua Furno replaces Marco Bortolami – also injured – and Simone Favaro returns in place of Mauro Bergamasco. Whew.
Kick-off is at 2.30pm GMT, or 3.30pm Italian time. Here are your teams in full:
Scotland
15-Stuart Hogg, 14-Tommy Seymour, 13-Mark Bennett, 12-Alex Dunbar, 11-Sean Lamont, 10-Peter Horne, 9-Greig Laidlaw (capt); 8-Johnnie Beattie, 7-Blair Cowan, 6-Rob Harley, 5-Jonny Gray, 4-Tim Swinson, 3-Euan Murray, 2-Ross Ford, 1-Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Ryan Grant, 18 Geoff Cross, 19-Ben Toolis, 20-Hamish Watson, 21-Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22-Greig Tonks, 23-Matt Scott.
Italy
15-Luke McLean, 14-Michele Visentin, 13-Luca Morisi, 12-Enrico Bacchin, 11-Giovambattista Venditti, 10-Kelly Haimona, 9-Edoardo Gori, 8-Sergio Parisse (capt), 7-Simone Favaro, 6-Francesco Minto, 5-Joshua Furno, 4-George Fabio Biagi, 3-Dario Chistolini, 2-Leondardo Ghiraldini, 1-Matias Aguero.
Replacements: 16-Andrea Manici, 17-Alberto De Marchi, 18-Lorenzo Cittadini, 19-Marco Fuser, 20-Samuela Vunisa, 21-Guglielmo Palazzani, 22-Tommaso Allan, 23-Giulio Bisegni
