Scotland fight back to break Italian hearts in Rome
A LATE penalty from Greig Laidlaw delivered a much-needed Scotland win on the road but Gregor Townsend’s side were second best in just about every department at the Olympic Stadium Rome.
Crestfallen Italy were also left reflecting on a couple of big refereeing calls that didn’t go their way.
The decision by the TMO to deny the impressive Seb Negri a fine individual try in the second half for a marginal knock on earlier in the move was a close call but correct.
However, later in the half the TMO should clearly have been called in to have a formal look at a flap at the ball by Finn Russell when Italy were lining up five metres out and likely to score.
While an incensed Sergio Parisse was appealing, referee Pascal Gauzere had a quiet world with TMO Marius Junker who said no case to answer, just as the cameras picked out Russell as he appeared to feel a finger gingerly.
There was also a clear case for TMO intervention late in the second half when David Denton swarmed around offside as Scotland mauled a lineout ball forward in the passage of play that led to Stuart Hogg’s try. It’s very difficult being Italy
When the dust has settled though Conor O’Shea will take a lot from this performance. We know they have uncovered a gem in Matteo Minozzi but yesterday was also confirmation that Negri and Jake Polledri are a pair of breakaways that can animate their pack again and ensure they are ultra-competitive in the tackle area.
Alongside those two, Parisse was in lively form although he will be kicking himself for a couple of untypical handling errors and a vital penalty he gave away late in the game which gave Sotland invaluable field positon.
It was all Italy in the opening five minutes even though their only reward was a simple penalty from Tommaso Allen but Scotland had come to play as well and they scored after their first concerted attack which saw them camped under the Italian posts before Hamish Watson looked up and saw Fraser Brown unmarked out on the right wing.
Watson threw a 25-yard pass and although it was no thing of beauty it got to Brown on the bounce and the Scotland hooker flopped over.
Italy stormed back and worked a classy try from the impressive Allen after Negri and Polledri had softened up the Scotland defence after Italy had won quality line-out possession in the Scotland 22.
Italy were in the groove and next Allen created another fine try for Minozzi after Italy had patiently gone through the phases and kept inching forward. Just when it seemed they had run out of ideas Allen moved over to the blindside and nudged a perfect little grubber through for the livewire Minozzi to pounce on.
Minozzi, in his first year of Six Nations rugby, has proved one of the stars of this year’s tournament. That was his fourth try in this campaign, indeed the only game he missed out on was England first up.
Another score then and Italy might have been away but Scotland didn’t panic and showed good maturity in realising that the way back into the game was probably some route one rugby up front. John Barclay and his pack duly obliged early in the second quarter when they marched the ball over from a line-out 15 yards out. Again, patience was the key, initially Scotland seemed to have hit a brick wall but they regrouped, moved the ball around to the blindside and after that Italy had no chance.
Italy exploded out of the blocks after the break in a manner which we have rarely seen before and although having the Negri try disallowed was a blow his former Hartpury College comrade in arms Polledri picked up the baton and went on one of his barnstorming runs to create a cracking second try for Allen.
Then came the Russell incident which so enraged Parisse and when Italy got nothing out of it the alarm bells rang a little.
They lost focus and concentration as Scotland eased their way back first with a nicely taken try by Sean Maitland and then Hogg’s touchdown.
Even then there was late drama. A 75th penalty from Allen put Italy back in the lead but again Scotland didn’t panic and, at the next opportunity, rumbled a lineout maul forward with real intent to win a very kickable penalty with which Laidlaw made no mistake.