Scotland player ratings: Finn Russell blows ‘hot and cold’ as Huw Jones’ ‘glorious’ hat-trick sees off Italy

Jared Wright
Scotland centres Huw Jones and Stafford McDowall and an instert of fly-half Finn Russell.

How we rated the Scotland players in their victory over Italy at Murrayfield.

Following Scotland’s 31-19 victory over Italy in their opening Six Nations match, here is how we rated Gregor Townsend’s men at Murrayfield.

Scotland player ratings v Italy

15 Blair Kinghorn: Safe as houses in the backfield and under the high ball. On occasion, he did run into too much traffic on the counter but it was not detrimental. Held onto an average pass well for Scotland’s first try, timed his pass perfectly for the second. He is a class act. 8

14 Darcy Graham: Scoffed what would have been a clear try-scoring opportunity for a finisher of his pedigree as he looked up at what was coming before he had caught the ball. He had threatening moments but was unable to take full advantage until the 61st minute as he cantered away to set-up Jones for his second. 7

13 Huw Jones: Lethal. A hat-trick hero today as he took all three of those chances superbly. His third try was perhaps not the flashiest but it was certainly the most impressive. A glorious all-round performance as he lay down a marker for the Lions’ number 13 jersey. 9

12 Stafford McDowall: Gave as good as he got against the brilliant Italian centre partnership for just under an hour. His biggest crime was not being Sione Tuipulotu but few can be as good as him. Still, it was a strong but not dominant display. 6

11 Duhan van der Merwe: A threat with every touch of the ball as he attracted Italian defenders and often rampaged through them. His overall game was strong too. You’d usually expect him to pin his ears back and charge for the line but he smartly tried to get the ball back in field and luck was on his side as it landed perfectly for Jones. 7

10 Finn Russell: Blew so hot and so, so cold throughout the match and it was almost incredibly costly for Scotland. Sure he had moments of sheer brilliance but often he overplayed his hand, his lacklustre pass that Nacho Brex pounced on being a prime example but not the only time. A few loose offloads and soft moments. Today it mattered little as Scotland still secured the win but teams like Ireland and France will punish him more. 5

9 Ben White: Kept Scotland’s attack flying at a rapid pace and on the whole, he made good decisions. He smartly offered the offload opportunity for Dave Cherry and was rewarded for doing so. He kicked well too and assisted a try. 8

Scotland 31-19 Italy, AS IT HAPPENED: Huw Jones hat-trick steers hosts to victory

10 - Career defining tournament 9 - Outright blockbuster campaign 8 - Significantly influenced their team's campaign 7 - Committed and effective throughout 6 - Flash of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by positional (Base Level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline that proved costly 2 - Poor performances that directly impacted the result of key games 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

Loose forwards

8 Matt Fagerson: A pivotal member of the Scotland pack as is often used as the battering ram to straighten up the attack and he did so excellently again today. A tireless workhorse, he got stuck into everything and pestered the Italian breakdown while clearing out the Scots masterfully. 7

7 Rory Darge: The kind of performance that will do his ambitions of representing the Lions a world of good. Much of Scotland’s success came through their breakdown prowess and Darge led the charge in that facet of the game. He was simply magnificent as he terrorised the Italian attacking ball but also had some great touches with ball in hand. 8

6 Jamie Ritchie: Completing the dominant trio, Ritchie also impressed on the deck but showed off his softer touches too. Stock standard solid outing. 6

Tight five

5 Grant Gilchrist: Another busy performance in all facets of the game and offered a safe pair of hands at lineout time. 6

4 Jonny Gray: A strong return to Test rugby by the tireless lock who came into the match rather cold. Usually, a tackling machine, he was not needed too much on defence but was effective in the rucks and got his hands on the ball plenty. 6

3 Zander Fagerson: Went deep into the second half once again and while Italy threatened in the scrums, Fagerson held his shape to avoid being penalised – an underrated skill of a tighthead prop. He impressed with his hands and carries too and was yet another who led the charge at the breakdown. 8

2 Dave Cherry: ‘A hooker in Finn Russell’s clothing’, one commentator brilliantly remarked as Cherry threw a stunning offload to send White over. The Edinburgh hooker last played Test rugby back in 2023 but he did not look out of place for a second. His lineout darts were sharp and threw his weight around well. 7

1 Pierre Schoeman: Held his own in the scrums as the Italians proved to be a real test for the Scots. Schoeman carried rather effectively and hit breakdowns with real ferocity. 6

Replacements: Scotland needed their bench to swing momentum as Italy started to threaten a stunning comeback. Tom Jordan and George Horne certainly did through their performances while Jack Dempsey was excellent in the close quarters. 8

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