Scots need to make a statement of INTENT

VICTORY is a given. A bonus point is all but a must. One almighty statement of intent has become an absolute necessity.

Scotland may well have lost 17 of their last 19 away games in the Six Nations, a stat to sober up the most refreshed of weekend travellers.

But it would be wrong to get buried in the miserable mire of gloomy historical precedents.

This is no time to flirt with the national cringe forever stalking our sporting psyche.

Honestly? If the Scots don’t blow Italy away with a display of fastrunning, physically-punishing, accurate and aggressive rugby this afternoon, they will be held to have fallen short of minimum requirements. Rightly so.

In this closing match of a Six Nations typified by wild extremes, mixed results and maddening inconsistency, a nation expects. No excuses will be accepted, no leeway allowed.

Gregor Townsend and his men want to be considered genuine members of the world elite, a team capable of competing for the biggest prizes.

Well, prove it. By doing what the very best do as a matter of course: routing the Italians with a routine and ruthless professionalism.

For all the talk of last weekend’s loss in Ireland leaving the Scots with nothing to play for at the Stadio Olimpico, there is always some reason to turn up.

Just because there is no title on the line, nor even the traditional Wooden Spoon-dodging contest to engage the competitive brain, this one still matters.

After all, Italy away is a fixture that has more than earned its reputation as a killing ground for Scottish reputations.

Not today, though. All going to plan, the visitors will make a different sort of name for themselves. Assuming Townsend’s men maintain the standards set to date, they have enough to nudge themselves over the win line.

Squeeze a little harder and, even without turning performance levels up to 11, the Scots should triumph with plenty to spare.

Never mind the fact they were humiliated in Cardiff. Ignore the more recent memory of being rolled up and dumped into a Dublin ditch by the streetwise Irish.

The ‘easy’ away win predicted by ex-Scotland forward Jim Hamilton, among others, is reinforced by a kind of sheepish, squeamish, damage-limitation tone among the Italians themselves.

You can’t blame them for being a little beaten down by the world, given the omnishambles of a campaign they’ve endured.

In four ties, Italy have conceded 23 tries. That’s TWENTY-THREE, as the old full-time vidiprinter would have clarified.

Their only home match of the Championship saw England run in seven touchdowns. South Africa, they ain’t.

At the outset of the Six Nations, head coach Conor O’Shea spoke about how his team had been winning the respect of the world.

Now, they look like a side left behind. Without even Scotland for company down in the deep, dark, recesses at the foot of the table — where no one can hear you whimper.

Former second-row titan Hamilton, a man who rarely held back on the pitch, is in Rome today. Smelling blood in the air. And urging his old team-mates to devour the home side.

‘Italy would always traditionally see Scotland in Rome as a winnable game — and rightly so because we have seen, in years gone by, that they have claimed some victories,’ he said.

‘But, for me, Scotland are on an upward curve and they are further along it than Italy are.

‘It might be easy for Scotland. They have the players to do it, guys who can score out of nothing if it gets a bit disjointed.

‘And that is how the Italians play. They have got a lot of mistakes in them. They give away a lot of penalties — and I think Scotland will win comfortably.’

Hamilton makes an excellent point about Italy’s preferred style of play. They like to create a bit of chaos. Well, that’s just perfect for the Scots. Make it loose and unstructured, if you like. Townsend’s boys will lap that up.

‘Scotland are a team who play without fear,’ is how Italy lock Dean Budd sums up the challenge for the hosts today.

‘Our goal will be to put pressure on their No 10, Finn Russell, and apply our defence effectively.

‘We want to finish this tournament with something to leave a good taste in the mouth.’

O’Shea is still talking a good-ish game, optimistically noting: ‘It’s possible for us to beat anyone, if we can control what we want in the important moments.’

With all due respect, Conor, that’s a bit like saying you could launch a manned mission to Mars.

If only you could figure out the maths. And the engineering. Not to mention the funding.

Today in Rome, the Scots get to show the world that they no longer inhabit the same orbit as the Italians.

Under Vern Cotter and now Townsend, they’ve moved light years ahead of a nation once considered genuine rivals. As this game should prove.

Over 50,000 tickets have been sold for the lunchtime encounter on the Viale Dei Gladiatori.

A fair few have gone to Scotland fans deciding to combine a city break with the chance to watch some high-level sport.

There was a time when people would deliberately schedule their weekend trips to Rome to avoid this fixture; it had a tendency to spoil an otherwise pleasant experience.

So much has changed. So many giant leaps have been taken.

By the time Ireland start chasing down England for the Grand Slam, that woeful Scottish away record should have moved a notch closer to respectability.

Losing 17 out of 20 looks a little better, right? Well, it does if that 20th game produces something spectacular. Defining, even.