Italy find some style but Scots too strong
ANOTHER Six Nations defeat for Italy, their 36th in a row.
It is four years since they even secured a bonus point, but they scored their first second-half points in the tournament in a year and the Grenoble wing Ange Capuozzo marked his debut with two tries.
There is not much to the 22-year-old, who weighs even less than Darcy Graham but, after coming on early in the second period, he showed a capacity to ride challenges and left Stuart Hogg and Adam Hastings wondering how he had eluded their clutches for his tries in the final 14 minutes.
Graham had banked Scotland’s bonus point just after Capuozzo had come on to end the match as a contest, weaving his way to the line after Hogg’s counter-attack and Finn Russell’s ability to take out defenders with a pass.
Scotland had been victims of counter-attacking in the previous round against France, but on a sunny afternoon in the Italian capital they ran back loose kicking and their first two tries, which came after Paolo Garbisi had given Italy the lead with a penalty, started from moves in their own half.
Hogg inspired the first, feinting to kick before releasing George Turner wide on the right. The hooker, who after being warned early on for going off his feet after a tackle haunted Italy at the breakdown, charged through Callum Braley’s tackle and set off into home territory.
Scotland quickly moved left and, although Graham appeared to have knocked on at a breakdown, play continued and Russell’s long pass was clutched by Sam Johnson who ran 20 metres to score.
Italy quickly shrugged off the setback and were five metres from Scotland’s line when Braley’s short pass was intercepted by his opposite number, Ali Price, who made it into Italy’s half before Kyle Steyn kicked to the line for Chris Harris to score.
Braley, despite his two mistakes, was Italy’s most influential player in the first half, getting the ball away quickly from the breakdown. The Azzurri made little impression on Scotland’s flat defensive line with ball in hand, but they had some success with chips into space without being able to find the killer pass.
They kept coming and when Braley worked a loop move from a scrum 40 metres out, Pierre Bruno remained upright on the right wing after Hogg’s challenge and just before he was about up a foot in touch, found Braley with an inside pass.
Italy scented an upset, but they became overexcited and started conceding breakdown penalties which allowed Scotland to get a territorial foothold for the first time. After the referee, Luke Pearce, had ordered Juan Ignacio Brex to have a head injury assessment, Harris scored his second try.
It came from the scrum in Italy’s 22 formed after Pearce’s intervention. Russell positioned himself straight behind it so the defence had to guess which direction he would run in. He went right and his long pass bought time for Hogg who freed Harris.
Scotland were worth their 19-10 interval lead, if mixing inspiration with carelessness, and they took control of the third quarter. Graham’s try was followed by Hogg’s third in as many matches in Rome after another break by Price who throughout took advantage of a defence that was preoccupied by the threat of Russell.
They were three short of their highest points tally in Rome, but the final 20 minutes belonged to Italy, and Capuozzo who qualifies through his grandparents. He followed another right wing, Tommaso Menoncello, in scoring on his international debut this tournament after Brex and Edorado Padovani manoeuvred room on the right.
It was far from a run-in for the 74kg wing, but his determination made up for his lack of weight as he rode Hogg’s tackle to show why Toulouse are interested in signing him.
He had even more to do for his second which came after the countdown clock had reached zero. Michele Lamaro took play into Scotland’s 22 and a powerful run from lock Federico Ruzza took play close to the visitors’ line.
Scotland looked to have enough cover, but Capuozzo, the day after Italy had won the U-20s match between the sides, left Hastings on the ground. It may have been yet another defeat but, after years of despair, the green shoots of hope are finally poking through.