Scotland player ratings: Jack Dempsey stars as Gregor Townsend’s men end Six Nations on winning note

Following a 26-14 triumph over Italy in their Six Nations Test at Murrayfield on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Scotland.

15 Ollie Smith: Some good footwork but struggled to break free as the Italians defended manfully. 6

14 Kyle Steyn: One good run but hasn’t had the greatest few weeks after impressing against England and Wales. 6

13 Huw Jones: A great Six Nations overall but this was his quietest display. Not poor by any means but Italy did a number on him. 6

12 Sione Tuipulotu: Linked play nicely in the backline and made a few charges into the opposition defence. His passing and running threat makes him a very useful player at this level. 7

11 Duhan van der Merwe: Scored a magnificent try and it always took two or three men to bring him to ground. His surging run also set up the final and decisive score. 8

10 Blair Kinghorn: Went over three times but the lack of Finn Russell was obvious in Scotland’s display. His basic skill level was fine and his general performance was decent, but he can’t read the game nearly as well as Russell. 7

9 Ben White: A mediocre performance to end a positive Championship on a personal level. Italy disrupted him at the base on a few occasions. 5

Former Aussie once again impresses at number eight

8 Jack Dempsey: Another mammoth effort from the former Wallaby. Italy struggled to bring him to ground as he carried for 80 metres, while he was also Scotland’s top carrier with 23. 9

7 Hamish Watson: Has found himself on the fringes of the team recently and probably didn’t do enough to make himself a definite starter when the World Cup comes around. 6

6 Jamie Ritchie (c): An excellent display from the captain who was a ubiquitous presence on the field. Carried hard but was particularly effective at the breakdown where he continually stopped Italy from getting clean ball. 8

5 Jonny Gray: Never lets you down and is an absolute workhorse in the engine room. Made yards with ball in hand and was once again a rock on defence. 7

4 Sam Skinner: Some good things but did not make as much of an impact as his locking partner. 6

3 Zander Fagerson: A fine showing from the tighthead, who scrummaged well and did plenty of work in the loose. 8

2 George Turner: Another who produced their worst performance of the tournament. Lineout had its wobbles while he was not quite as visible in the loose on Saturday. 5

1 Pierre Schoeman: Becoming a superb international prop after a fine showing at Murrayfield on Saturday. Play in the loose matched by his dominance at the set-piece. 8

Replacements: Some key interventions from Ali Price but the others failed to really make their presence felt as Italy threatened an unlikely win late on. 5

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