Italy player ratings: ‘Prop idols’ excel for Azzurri as Scotland star’s Lions hopes ‘harmed’

Colin Newboult
Italy against Scotland in 2025 Six Nations and Juan Ignacio Brex celebrating (inset).

Italy against Scotland in 2025 Six Nations and Juan Ignacio Brex celebrating.

Following a 31-19 defeat to Scotland in the Six Nations clash at Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Italy.

15 Tommaso Allan: Kicked well and was solid at the back, playing a key role in their revival after a slow start. 7

14 Ange Capuozzo: Has played well for Toulouse on the wing but his best position is certainly at full-back. Struggled to influence the game out wide and was shut down. 5

Beastly centres

13 Juan Ignacio Brex: One of the most underrated players in world rugby. Reads the game superbly in defence and challenges the opposition rearguard on the gain line – a fine display. 8

12 Tommaso Menoncello: A battering ram of a centre with some silky skills, he is starting to form a fine partnership with Brex at this level. Constantly broke tackles and caused Scotland issues. 8

11 Monty Ioane: Like Capuozzo, he didn’t get the space to cause havoc. Look threatening on occasions but it was ultimately a quiet afternoon for the wing. 5

10 Paolo Garbisi: A mixed bag from the fly-half in this Six Nations clash, who struggled early on before showing some nice touches in the second period. 6

9 Martin Page-Relo: Like his half-back partner, he struggled to control the early stages of the match with his kicking game failing to put the hosts under pressure. Better after that but Page-Relo needs to improve. 5

Planet Rugby player ratings key 10 - Career defining performance 9 - Outright blockbuster effort 8 - Significantly influenced the result of the game 7 - Committed and effective outing 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by position (base level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline in the game 2 - Poor performance that directly impacted the result 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

8 Lorenzo Cannone: Good skills at the base and some big carries through the middle on the field. Did plenty of hard graft throughout. 7

7 Michele Lamaro (c): Defended stoutly but didn’t quite influence the game as he can. Outshone by his back-row partners. 6

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Remarkable work rate

6 Sebastian Negri: Huge work rate on both sides of the ball as his performance helped give Italy hope going into the latter stages. A serious shift. 7

5 Federico Ruzza: Lineout went poorly for the Azzurri early on and that cost them with Scotland managing to race into an early lead. 5

4 Dino Lamb: Similar to Ruzza. Lamb has established himself as a top-quality operator over the past couple of years, but it wasn’t his best day at the office. 5

3 Simone Ferrari: One of two prop idols for Italy, Ferrari was magnificent in both the scrum and the loose. Defensively, he put in a number of shots. 8

2 Giacomo Nicotera: Didn’t quite connect with his locks in what was a frustrating opening half for the hooker. Improved after that but that start cost the visitors. 5

1 Danilo Fischetti: Two huge turnovers gave Italy hope while he was exceptional in the set-piece, putting Zander Fagerson under serious heat, harming his Lions chances. 8

Replacements: They were all willing, with Manuel Zuliani the standout, but some errors, particularly from Simone Gesi, cost them as they failed to get the bonus-point their efforts deserved. 5

READ MORE: Huw Jones hat-trick rescues Scotland against Italy as hosts begin Six Nations in underwhelming fashion