Scotland ensure record victory
SCOTLAND ran in eight tries to ensure a record 5210 victory over Italy at Murrayfield last Saturday and a return to winning ways after successive narrow defeats in the Six Nations.
David Cherry (two), Duhan van der Merwe (two), Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Scott Steele and Sam Johnson all went over for tries while captain Stuart Hogg, in a rare outing at flyhalf, contributed six conversions.
Italy had opened the scoring with hooker Luca Bigi dotting down in the sixth minute, but that was to prove their only try of the game, which young flyhalf Paolo Garbisi converted. Garbisi later added a first-half penalty.
Italian euphoria after Bigi’s try, at the end of a line-out maul, was all too brief as Scotland scored five minutes later from a maul of their own with hooker Cherry bursting over on his full debut.
A midfield break by
Jones was completed by Van der Merwe on the left wing in the 14th minute, and when Italy were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes midway through the first half by the yellow card handed to Federico Mori, Scotland scored twice more through Graham and Jones, both at the end of strong running from the backs.
Cherry went over for a second try from another maul soon after the break, and when Italy were again reduced by a man for 10 minutes, when Sebastian Negri was sent to the sinbin in the 52nd minute, Scotland took advantage of the numerical superiority with scrumhalf Scott Steele darting over.
Italy suffered a third yellow card for winger Monty Ioane, with their illdiscipline effectively meaning they spent 30 minutes of the match down to 14 men. Centre Johnson powered his way over for the seventh Scottish try with 15 minutes left, and van der Merwe’s second came after a turn over from 40 metres out in the closing stages.
It was Italy’s 32nd successive Six Nations loss, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table without a single point.