Italy v Scotland: Five takeaways as Scots ‘pay heavy price’ for inconsistencies as ‘stunning’ Azzurri rule Rome

Following Italy’s stunning 31-29 win over Scotland in Rome, here are our five takeaways from the Six Nations encounter.

The top line

Italy have finally delivered a winning performance in Rome, ending an 11-year wait for victory at the Stadio Olimpico in the Championship.

It was a stunning performance as the Azzurri scored 21 unanswered points after trailing 22-10 in the 28th minute. Louis Lynagh’s debut try sparked the Italians’ comeback, with Stephen Varney finishing off a fine team try before Paolo Garbisi’s boot stretched the advantage to nine points with eight minutes to play.

All that came off the back of a disallowed try, more on that later, as Scotland failed to live up to their hype and see their chances of getting their hands on the Six Nations title fade. Finn Russell tried his utmost to inspire a late winner, but it was not to be as the Scots rue their inconsistencies, and Italy flexed their progression as the new era rockets into life after a horrid World Cup.

In truth, it wasn’t just a case of Scotland completely collapsing and the Italians taking full advantage; this was a marvellous and thrilling Six Nations encounter, with both sides trading blow for blow in a hugely entertaining fixture that exceeded any hype.

Both sides are renowned for their attacking brilliance, and while they did not disappoint in that facet of the game, it was also a brutally physical game and one battle with an outstanding tactical nous, particularly from the pair of fly-halves.

Scotland pay heavy price for inconsistencies

When previewing this clash, we noted Scotland’s inability to produce a solid performance in both halves of a Six Nations fixture this year, and it was more of the same today. Gregor Townsend’s side has fluctuated from nigh on impossible to contain to very average to almost anonymous, which leaves them heading into the final weekend of action with a 50% win rate in the Championship. In reality, it’s a fair reflection of their form regardless of how you feel about the TMO decision against France.

When George Horne sped over the line for a score that would have put Scotland up 29-16, Townsend’s charges looked to be comfortable and getting control of the match, but the heads clearly dropped, and they just let the Italians back into the game.

The over-eagerness to respond positively had a contrasting effect, and the Azzurri duly punished the error and looked far more calm in possession.

Even when they were in the lead, in the first half, they looked oddly rushed for no apparent reason. While they have a wonderful backline, the pack was getting the job done upfront for long periods of the match but often rushed to swing it wide.

Scotland player ratings: Pierre Schoeman’s ill-discipline proves costly in defeat to Italy

Brex ends Rome drought

Any chance of getting a result over the Scots was always going to rely heavily on the Italian defensive structures and battle up front. Early doors, they were bettered in the latter, but overall, the former won the fixture, led by the brilliant Juan Ignacio Brex.

The outside centre grabbed the opening score, pouncing on a deft chip over the top from Martin Page-Relo, and he scooped it up to round off a well-executed and pre-planned set move.

But that was really just the start of an excellent all-round performance from Brex, who nullified the influence of the in-form Huw Jones and Duhan van der Merwe. The outside centre is often the defensive captain of teams, and that is clearly a duty that Brex thrives on, and he pitched in with a handy 12 tackles and two turnovers.

He rose to the occasion multiple times, with one notable moment being the breakdown penalty he won when Andy Christie raced away after a Garbisi fumble. He chased down the flanker, got back to his feet, and won the penalty in a play that epitomised his performance and the Italian effort.

Without Brex, it’s hard to see Italy coming out on top and ending the long wait for victory in Rome, while it would be remiss not to mention his fellow midfielder Tommaso Menoncello.

Italy player ratings: Juan Ignacio Brex shines in historic Six Nations win over Scotland

Paolo Garbisi matures shows his class

It hasn’t been the best season for the Italian playmaker, which has led to a mid-season switch from Top 14 giants Montpellier to Toulon. However, he is showing his maturity by putting his setbacks behind him and just getting on with what is in front of him.

He is seen as a generational talent in Italy, and rightly so. However, much of his brilliance at the start of his career was down to his raw talent, but now he is starting to add more and more to his game, which he showed against Scotland.

After a crushing missed penalty to hand Italy a historic win over France in round three, it was a sense of deja vu when the ball fell off his tee with his first shot at goal in Rome. However, he quickly reacted, replacing it and this time, he nailed the kick. It’s a small moment but not one that should be discarded, particularly with the final margin being just two points.

One of Italy’s biggest improvements this Six Nations has been their kicking game, which has been led by Garbisi and scrum-half Page-Relo. It was arguably at its best against Scotland as he went hammer and tongs with Russell and, at times, got the better of the Scotsman.

Later in the game, Garbisi would miss from the tee once again, which would often lead to a young player dropping their heads, but again, that was not the case for the Italian playmaker.

Italy have been threatening to realise their potential, and with Garbisi performing like this, he will be the man to build that dynasty around.

Italians no pushover under Quesada, while soft moments the downfall of Scots’ campaign

When Gonzalo Quesada replaced Kieran Crowley as the Azzurri’s head coach, he spoke of building on their identity and improving on defence if they want to be competitive in the international arena.

Italy were regarded as an excellent attacking team under Crowley, and they certainly haven’t abandoned that approach to the game under Quesada. However, the Argentinian coach has placed a greater emphasis on an improvement in the fundamentals of the game.

While the Azzurri are still willing to play expansively, it’s noticeable that they are doing that in the right areas of the pitch while they have also shown improvement on their set-piece work and, especially on defence.

Of their four Six Nations matches so far, the only game they were not competitive in was against Ireland, as they lost narrowly to England, drew with France and have now beaten Scotland, and Quesada’s influence on the team is reaping rewards.

Meanwhile, the Scots showed again today that they are far from the finished article, and while they are a side that can test any international team’s defence with their brilliance on attack, there have been several examples of soft moments from them which have come back to bite them at crucial moments.

Against France, a lapse in concentration on defence saw Louis Bielle-Biarrey taking advantage to cross for the match-winning try, while against Italy Pierre Schoeman’s off-the-ball hit on Ross Vintcent resulted in Horne’s try being disallowed while Kyle Steyn was caught napping on defence as Vintcent beat him with ease in the build-up to Varney’s five-pointer.

Those are just a few examples of moments which had an impact in the bigger scheme of things that Scotland coach Townsend will have to work on stamping out if he wants his team to reach their full potential.

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