Italy player ratings: Spirited Azzurri performance falls just short to Scotland

Jared Wright
six nations Italy put in a spirited performance against Scotland but were ultimately undone at Murrayfield as the hosts ran out 26-14 victors. Here are our Italy player ratings from the loss. 

Italy put in a spirited performance against Scotland but were ultimately undone at Murrayfield as the hosts ran out 26-14 victors. Here are our Italy player ratings from the loss.

Backs

15 Tommy Allan: An improved performance at the back compared to last week. He was safe under the high ball and kicked well out of hand. Allan took his opportunity well to score and worked hard on defence, particularly for that last try. 7

14 Pierre Bruno: His attacking prowess shone through against the Scots, but his defensive inabilities were clear to see. He missed six tackles and made six. He kicked well out of hand, too, but the negative contributions outweigh the positive. 5

13 Juan Ignacio Brex: Bustling performance, as per usual. He made some excellent defensive reads but could not stop Blair Kinghorn for the Scots’ second try. 6

12 Luca Morisi: A late change for Tommaso Menoncello, Morisi slotted into the void with little fuss. Despite a couple of handling errors, he was threatening with the ball in hand, powering forwards and was sound defensively. 6

11 Simone Gesi: Precious few attacking opportunities for the debutant. He showed just how dangerous he is in possession when he did get his chances. Made a crucial intervention to stop Scotland from scoring before the break. 6

Half-backs

10 Paolo Garbisi: A far more rounded game from the Azzurri pivot who shared the playmaking duties with Allan. He kicked far more and more accurately than in previous fixtures. His deft grubber through for Allan’s score was outstanding. His best performance of the tournament. 7

9 Alessandro Fusco: Some flashes of brilliance from the young scrum-half, but those were overshadowed by his poorer moments. A poor attempted tackle on Kinghorn led the Scots’ first try. He wasted a fantastic attacking opportunity he created with a feeble pass. 5

Busy back rowers

8 Lorenzo Cannone: He finished off his Six Nations campaign much like he started it. The number eight was brilliant with the ball in hand and hammered into tackles. Replaced on the hour mark, but it was another strong outing. 7

7 Michele Lamaro: Seriously unlucky to have the final knock-on go against him. He did go the wrong way with the carry at the end, but it was still unfortunate. Was immaculate with his carries and passes while he led the way defensively. 7

6 Sebastian Negri: As he has done all tournament, Negri was outstanding in the contact areas thundering into tackles and carries. He couldn’t get his body positioning right for the tackle on Kinghorn, and after a busy outing, and replaced shortly after half-time. 7

5 Federico Ruzza: The safe option at the lineout throughout the game, Ruzza battered in the breakdown and was another extremely busy defensive game. He landed a crucial and brutal hit after Scotland’s break in the 69th minute. 7

4 Edoardo Iachizzi: After impressive performances throughout the tournament, he earned his first start for the Azzurri. Unfortunately, he was unable to make the most of his opportunity. He flourished with the ball in hand, gaining over 30 metres, but he conceded two penalties, wasted a threatening attacking position with a poor pass and was replaced shortly after the break. 4

Nicotera impresses

3 Marco Riccioni: Put under the pump from Pierre Schoeman in the scrum and was yellow-carded as he got dominated after several Italy penalties. He conceded two penalties in the game and threw his weight around on defence. 5

2 Giacomo Nicotera: His lineout darts were sharp, while the hooker had an enthusiastic outing around the park. Diving on scraps, hammering into tackles and a consistent threat over the ball. 8

1 Danilo Fischetti: A bit unlucky with the decision at scrum time as he provided a real arm-wrestle with Zander Fagerson. Outstandingly dynamic around the pitch, winning an early jackal penalty, made 18 tackles and was a handful to bring to the ground. 7

Replacements: The replacements certainly made an impact in the final quarter and kept the match close. Marco Zanon picked up from where Morisi left off. Alessandro Garbisi vastly enhanced their attack, and Niccolo Cannone impressed. 7

READ MORE: Six Nations: Blair Kinghorn hat-trick helps Scotland edge past battling Italy

Features Juan Ignacio Brex

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