GREG: WE GOT SLACK
Greig: Scots can’t afford to slack off again when the Irish come calling
Gregor Townsend admits Scotland got a Six Nations warning after gifting Italy three late tries. A 33-20 bonus- point
Greig Laidlaw led Scotland to a rare Six Nations winning start but admitted they’re still a work in progress after seeing a late Italy rally take the shine off their display.
The Dark Blues looked to be cruising at Murrayfield thanks to Blair Kinghorn’s hat-trick of tries and Stuart Hogg and Chris Harris scores before the Azzurri ran in a late treble to sour the success.
And Clermont scrum half Laidlaw insists a sloppy end to what had been a dominant display won’t be ignored as they look to lift their levels for the test of hosting Ireland next weekend.
He said: “We are pretty happy, it’s a good start and already we turn our attention to next week.
“We took it away from Italy in the middle part of the game but physically we dropped off towards the end and that’s something we will need to tighten up on.
“It will heighten our attention ahead of the Ireland game.
“I was 100 per cent confident we would win. We trained well all week and we controlled the ball superbly.
“There is more to come, that much is obvious. We know the areas we need to work on and that again will give us a focus for next week because at the moment Ireland are the second best team in the world.
“We have a couple of things to work on but that is a positive thing.
“Against quality opposition like Ireland we can’t release a Test match like that. We were in control and just gave Italy momentum by being less aggressive and slipping off tackles.”
Italy had entered the fray on the back of 17 Six Nation defeats on the bounce yet could point at taking the Scots to the last seconds in Rome last season as a reason to believe this game could bring a better reward.
But the early signs were that Scotland were in no mood to leave things so late on this occasion as they surged forward.
Grant Gilchrist dived over in the third minute from a line-out drive only for referee Luke Pearce to penalise the lock for a double movement on the floor.
It was stirring stuff as Gregor Townsend’s side seized the initiative and Kinghorn was brought to the deck five metres from the line as he broke clear. But he couldn’t of f load to Hogg as a huge opportunity was passed up.
Nine minutes were on the clock as Italy edged ahead through Tommaso Allan after Jamie Ritchie conceded
the penalty with a tip tackle on Sergio Parisse. That three-point lead wasn’t to last as the Scots hit back with their f irst try. Kinghorn collected Finn Russell’s exquisite kick to the corner to score before the usually impeccable Laidlaw failed to add the extras from a tight angle.
Ten minutes later Kinghorn repeated the feat with another try which was all about cohesion.
A string of passes ended with Hogg f inding the Edinburgh f lying machine and again he went over in the corner. This time Laidlaw fired over for a 12-3 lead.
Italy were struggling to contain a Scottish attack which was coming at them from both flanks and with a variety which was the hallmark of a seriously impressive first 40 minutes.
There could and should have been more points on the board for Townsend’s side but the degree of superiority on show signalled better things to come after the break.
Scotland shoved the Italians back straight from the restart and their nine-point cushion was increased in 47 minutes. Again it was the craft of Russell which engineered the try. The Racing 92 star dinked a kick inside the Italian defence, allowing Hogg to win the race and he touched down with fingertips to allow Laidlaw to kick the extras and extend the lead to 19-3.
More incisive Scottish attacking brought a fourth try and a treble for Kinghorn in 54 minutes.
He gathered a Laidlaw pass before galloping clear after a dummy and side-step. Laidlaw made no mistake with the kick to complete a score which had the Murrayfield crowd on its feet.
A fifth try arrived on the hour after Hogg had punctured the Italian backline, allowing Russell and then Josh Strauss to feed Harris who touched down. Russell assumed kicking duties to add the extras.
It should have been a case of extending the winning margin but there was to be a sting in the tail.
Simon Berghan was yellow carded for one infringement too many with 10 minutes left and Italy grabbed three late tries to make it an uneasy end to Scotland’s afternoon.
Guglielmo Palazzani dived over with Allan conver t ing before Edoardo Padovani struck w ith Ian McKinle y mi s s ing Italy’s k ick. Then remarkably a third came through Angelo Esposito who then failed to convert.
Whether it was a case of switching off or something more concerning will become clear against the Irish next weekend.