SEYMOUR WARNS FANS TO EXPECT ANOTHER CLOSE ENCOUNTER:
Seymour warns fans they must expect another close encounter with the visitors
THERE will be no place f or t he faint-hearted at BT Murrayfield today and Tommy Seymour has warned Scotland fans to brace themselves for another thriller as Italy come calling.
And the Glasgow winger believes the support from the stands, in what will be a record crowd for a home match against the Italians, will be vital in a Six Nations clash he believes could go to the wire.
Seymour knows how cl ose matches between these two sides can be, having played i n two dramatic Scotland-Italy encounters already in his career.
Two years ago, he was part of a Scotland team that sneaked home thanks to a converted try from Alasdair Strokosch in the very last play to secure a 30-29 win in a three-team tournament in South Africa. Then, last year, a drop goal from Duncan Weir in the 79th minute secured a dramatic 21-20 Six Nations victory in Rome.
‘I played them on my first tour, in what was my second cap when Al Strokosch got that try,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘I was there last year, as well, when Duncan Weir did that drop goal and Alex Dunbar got two tries.
‘It has been nail-biting on both occasions and it could be again.
‘The fact these two games I played in were so close are an example of how tough they are to play against and how hard they are to break down. I know how far we will have to push, and how hard we have to work to get a result over them today.’
Scotland go into the match as firm favourites, but with Seymour making it clear there will be no complacency in the ranks of the home side in a match that many believe is a wooden-spoon decider.
‘ You s aw how good t heir performance was at Twickenham, when they got three tries and how close the game was after 65 minutes until England pulled away,’ he continued.
‘It sounds a cliché, but we can’t go into this game half-cocked. We have to be raring to go and do the basic things well in terms of the physicality and the breakdown, which is stuff the Italians are very good at.
‘They are also very passionate, so we have to match them in that and in every other department.’
Head coach Vern Cotter will look to Seymour, along with full-back Stuart Hogg, to unlock the Italian defence.
The winger, who was born in Nashville, Tennessee, to his Scottish mother Susan, has an impressive six tries in 14 matches for Scotland and his cutting edge was badly missed in the match against Wales, which he didn’t play in because of injury.
Immediately after he regained fitness, he was brought into the side at the expense of the dropped Tim Visser.
‘We are clearly playing a brand of rugby which the supporters like as we are looking at a record crowd for a match against Italy which is great,’ said Seymour (above).
‘We need to win and for that to happen we need to be clinical with the opportunities we get. We need to get over the line.
‘Up until now, the main thing is that we are creating chances but we need to take them and make sure we come away with the points. It is international rugby so games are decided by small margins.
Meanwhile, f ormer Scotland Under-20 stand-off Tommaso Allan has revealed the Italians are out f or revenge after l ast year’s dramatic defeat.
Allan, who switched allegiance to the Azzurri after claiming the SRU had shown no interest in him for t he f ull national t eam, has represented Italy 12 times but starts on the bench today.
‘That defeat last year is still at the back of our minds,’ said Allan, who was born in Italy to a Scottish father and Italian mother. ‘It hurt quite a lot last year but hopefully the result won’t be as close this year. I would have given up the try I scored that day for an Italy win but I must admit it was nice to score against Scotland.
‘They gave it a good go against us in Rome and now we want to win and have prepared intensely for this match, which will be a special one for me.’
Allan said he had no regrets about swapping i nternational allegiances and was still on good terms with his former Scotland Under-20 team-mates, such as Jonny Gray and Mark Bennett who will be playing today.
‘I am playing international rugby for Italy and I don’t think about that any more,’ said Allan, whose uncle John played hooker for Scotland. ‘I have still have good relations with the guys who play for Scotland and it will be good to see them again.’