Winner: Mike Blair scores for Scotland
Related links
Teams
Also see
Scotland beat Italy 23-12 at Murrayfield on Saturday to complete their World Cup preparations with a second consecutive win.
Both teams scored two tries but three penalties from the boot of home fly-half Dan Parks proved the difference after 80 minutes.
The result sees the Scots build on the 10-6 win over Ireland a fortnight ago although the success was marred somewhat by the sight of Nikki Walker leaving the field on a stretcher in the closing stages with a knee injury.
Coach Andy Robinson will name his World Cup squad on Monday.
The crowd in sun-kissed Edinburgh found immediate cause for excitement as the Scots surged straight into attack. The hosts got off to a cracking start as Alasdair Dickinson scored his first Test try on the ten minute mark following a slaloming run by wing Max Evans.
Italy replied through a try from wing Tommaso Benvenuti which Mirco Bergamasco converted but Parks' second penalty gave Scotland a 13-7 half-time lead.
Scotland continued to earn the bulk of possession and territory, but the good early work was spoiled when they gave away a series of turnovers.
The action continued to be scrappy and disjointed after the restart with the Scots looking increasingly nervy.
And it was the Italians who were producing the more attractive and constructive rugby - much to the frustration of the vast majority among the 20,245-strong crowd.
The visitors' pluck and endeavour was rewarded in the 48th minute as Treviso scrum-half Fabio Semenzato scored the second try.
The Scots' fringe defence was markedly absent as the smallest man on the pitch darted through a gap to score from close quarters after a well-controlled pick and drive sequence.
Scotland needed a stroke of good fortune and the vision of vice-captain Mike Blair to ease the jitters.
Andrea Masi fatally delayed his clearance kick, giving Edinburgh scrum-half Blair the chance to charge it down and win the race for the critical try.
The conversion was a formality for Parks, who stretched the gap to eight points, and two minutes later he thumped over a 40-metre penalty to give the hosts even more breathing space.
For Scotland:
Tries: Dickinson, Blair
Cons: Parks 2
Pens: Parks 3
For Italy:
Tries: Benvenuti, Semenzato
Cons: Bergamasco
Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Max Evans, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Richie Vernon, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock (capt), 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Moray Low, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Euan Murray, 18 Richie Gray, 19 Ross Rennie, 20 Chris Cusiter, 21 Ruaridh Jackson, 22 Nikki Walker.
Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Fabio Semenzato, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Paul Derbyshire, 5 Cornelius Van Zyl, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso D'Apice, 17 Lorenzo Cittadini, 18 Marco Bortolami, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Edoardo Gori, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Joshua Furno.
Venue: Murrayfield
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Robin Goodliffe (England)
TMO: Huw Watkins (Wales)
Comments
j615 says...
This world cup may be too soon for some of the young Italian players but 2015 hopefully many of these youngsters will be quality internationals and Italy could be more than an outside bet for the quarter finals. Between now and 2015 it would be good to see the following things happen in Italian Rugby:
1. Treviso and Aironi to play only Italians at 9 and 10
2. Treviso and Aironi to field 75% Italians in match 22.
3. Italy to have enough decent players to potentially form another franchise for Celtic League
2. Italy to come in the top 4 of the 6 Nations more than once
3. Italy to beat England and Ireland in the 6 Nations
4. Treviso or Aironi to make the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup
5. Aironi and Treviso push for top half of the Celtic League consistently
6. Italy to play more tier 2 teams and tour Pacific Islands and other European Countries
Some of these may be unrealistic but if these happened it would be possible Italy could be a force in world rugby.
Posted 19:09 26th August 2011
piotr says...
These summer tests do look as nothing more than friendlies in preparation of the World Cup with many mistakes from both sides. Benvenuti's try is probably the best team try Italy has ever scored against a solid team. Interesting to notice that now the Azzurri are largely made by home grown players rather than by players coming from abroad. Benvenuti was not even in the Benetton first team when he started training with the Azzurri, Semenzato was third choice scrum half of Benetton when playing the 6N, Sgarbi was a sub - now these three players are top class players by any standard. Mallet has done a great job these years and it is very sad to see him going. He should become some sort of Director of Rugby of the Italian Rugby Federation to take Italian rugby to the next level. It is always very important to bear in mind that rugby in Italy is a truly minor sport with 61 thousands male players (ie 20% of French ones but still managing to beat them at the 6N). In Japan players are 121k (source IRB)
Posted 14:51 26th August 2011
j615 says...
Its been said many times here and I wish we were wrong... Orquera just isn't good enough. The Benvenuti try was one of best the tries I have seen from Italy for many years and shows the class the back line can produce but difficult with a poor 10. Orquera cost at least 10 points directly from his own errors. I think Mallet has done a great job but maybe like other teams he should have waited to pick his squad after all the warm ups.
If Orquera plays like that against Australia it could be embarassing and Italy MUST give Australia a give a good game to get confidence. How about this for a back line: Gori or Semenzato (both very promising), Bocchino (can take pressure off Bergamasco and has a lot more composure and quality than Orquera), Bergamasco (maybe without kicking can concentrate on own game more), Sgarbi and Canale ( both solid defensively and Canale had good season for Clermont), Benvenuti (I'd put money on him becoming Italy's all time try scorer) and Masi.
Posted 02:00 24th August 2011
Lucasrg says...
Italy is a strange beast. they can do a fantastic top class try like the one Benvenuti did and so many silly mistakes that pull your hair apart, especially when you see such a good scrum that could easily compete among the best in the world.
Scots and Italians were pretty much on the same level..only that,again, the Azzurri need a kicker.
I think that both Scotland and Italy need to keep as much possession as possible in the first 20 minutes without rushing the game, just like Argentina did in the first 30 minutes against Wales. It creates so much frustration and chances to spot weakness.
For once the only thing I got really puzzled about Mallet's choice, is that he put 2 scum halves at the end of the game, why?
Posted 17:27 21st August 2011
scot_rsa says...
Scotland are a different proposition when in a backs-to-the-wall game. Expect them to step up against Eng & Arg at the RWC. Wasn't best team out there against Italy, would just like to see Cusiter back and settled, plus a back row that will compete at the breakdown (the only area I think Argentina may challenge us). Squad announcement should hold no real surprises but let's see.
Posted 10:50 21st August 2011
carpelone says...
Hallelujah. I saw what I did not think a mortal would have ever seen. A scorching solo try by an Italian wing.
Otherwise, frustrating game for Italy. Schoolboy mistakes before the gain line, ear-bound passes. All in all, it looked liked the game in the past 6N. Italy seemed to have something more but the Scots laboured their way to victory.
Both Italy and Scotland showed their well known limits.
Posted 08:31 21st August 2011
ruckman says...
Scotland looked awful, were awful and have always been awful - a bit like their football team.
Posted 23:17 20th August 2011
macte says...
Against any other top ten side Italy would have lost by much more.
Scotland looked bad, but Italy was unwatchable.
It seems they keep doing mistakes unacceptable even at a junior level.
I'm sorry to say this, but Orquera shouldn't be there. If this is what he can do, then I think he could be replaced by anyone (yes, even by Mauro Bergamasco!).
Good luck to both sides.
Posted 20:10 20th August 2011