Italy v Scotland, 22 February

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Italy  v Scotland 

Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Saturday 22 February 2014
KO 14:30

Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU)
First Assistant: Jérôme Garces (FFR)
Second Assistant: Luke Pearce (RFU)
TMO: Geoff Warren (RFU)

A. Squads

1. Italy

Forwards: Martin Castrogiovanni (Toulon/FRA), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Alberto De Marchi (Treviso), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Davide Giazzon (Zebre), Marco Bortolami (Zebre), Francesco Minto (Treviso), Quintin Geldenhuys (Zebre), Antonio Pavanello (Treviso), Robert Barbieri (Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Zebre), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso), Joshua Furno (Biarritz/FRA), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais/FRA), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso)

Backs: Tobias Botes (Treviso), Edoardo Gori (Treviso), Tommaso Allan (Perpignan/FRA), Luciano Orquera (Zebre), Tommaso Benvenuti (Perpignan/FRA), Michele Campagnaro (Treviso), Gonzalo Garcia (Zebre), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Rovigo), Angelo Esposito (Treviso), Tommaso Iannone (Zebre), Luke McLean (Treviso), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Leonardo Sarto (Zebre)

2. Scotland

Forwards: John Beattie (Montpellier), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Geoff Cross, David Denton, Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (all Edinburgh Rugby), Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby), Ryan Grant, Jonny Gray (both Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), Jim Hamilton (Montpellier), Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), Kieran Low (London Irish), Moray Low, Pat MacArthur (both Glasgow Warriors), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Rugby) Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan), Tim Swinson and Ryan Wilson (both Glasgow Warriors).

Backs: Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh Rugby), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Max Evans (Castres), Dougie Fife (Edinburgh Rugby), Stuart Hogg, Ruaridh Jackson, Sean Lamont (all Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby), Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Greig Tonks (Edinburgh Rugby) and Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors).
 
B. Previous Form

9 February 2013: Scotland 34-10 Italy

17 March 2012: Italy 13-6 Scotland

19 March 2011: Scotland 21-8 Italy

C. Teams

1. Italy

15 Luke MCLEAN (Benetton Treviso, 54 caps)
14 Angelo ESPOSITO (Benetton Treviso, 1 cap)
13 Michele CAMPAGNARO (Benetton Treviso, 4 caps)
12 Gonzalo GARCIA (Zebre Rugby, 30 caps)
11 Leonardo SARTO (Zebre Rugby, 4 caps)
10 Tommaso ALLAN (Perpignan, 5 caps)
9 Edoardo GORI (Benetton Treviso, 31 caps)

8 Sergio PARISSE (Stade Francais, 103 caps)(c)
7 Robert BARBIERI (Benetton Treviso, 32 caps)
6 Alessandro ZANNI (Benetton Treviso, 82 caps)
5 Joshua FURNO (Biarritz Olympique, 15 caps)
4 Quintin GELDENHUYS (Zebre Rugby, 43 caps)
3 Martin CASTROGIOVANNI (Toulon RC, 103 caps)
2 Leonardo GHIRALDINI (Benetton Treviso, 61 caps)
1 Alberto DE MARCHI (Benetton Treviso, 14 caps)

Substitutes:

16 Davide GIAZZON (Zebre Rugby, 17 caps)
17 Matias AGUERO (Zebre Rugby, 22 caps)
18 Lorenzo CITTADINI (Benetton Treviso, 29 caps)
19 Marco BORTOLAMI (Zebre Rugby, 101 caps)
20 Paul DERBYSHIRE (Benetton Treviso, 20 caps)
21 Tobias Weitz BOTES (Benetton Treviso, 21 caps)
22 Luciano ORQUERA (Zebre Rugby, 38 caps)
23 Tommaso IANNONE (Zebre, 8 caps)

2. Scotland

15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors)
14 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)
13 Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors)
12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby)
11 Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors)
10 Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors)
9 Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby) capitano

8 Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier)
7 Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors)
6 Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors)
5 Jim Hamilton (Montpellier)
4 Richie Gray (Castres)
3 Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors)
2 Scott Lawson (Newcastle Falcons)
1 Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors)

Substitutes

16 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby)
17 Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby)
18 Geoff Cross (Edinburgh Rugby)
19 Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors
20 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby)
21 Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors) 

22 Duncan Taylor (Saracens)
23 Max Evans (Castres)

To be fair, if laidlaw just played the ball (he could of got it out) instead of screaming for the penalty i don't think he would of blown.

You couldn't write it...

Tomorrows headline." Turncoat Tommy try see's Italy through"

Scotland are going from bad to worse, looks like the dreaded spoon, will the score at try this season?

Wonder if there is any chance the commentators could stop obsessing about Alan. YES ..WE KNOW HE COULD HAVE PLAYED FOR SCOTLAND. He didn't. End.

Not sure what game Geech is watching but we don't look close to scoring a try.

Scotland have conceded 5x as many pens as Italy- I'd question Walsh for a few of them, but all the same they desperately need to adapt to the way he's interpreting the scrum and breakdown. Maybe stop going for the jackal because the rush defence is putting them under pressure. Just ball carriers getting isolated is the other problem.

Hopefully Geoff Cross sorts the scrum.

Could we not even have gone for a DG at some point

Ooft just saw the replay of Weir messing up the 2 on 1 - that wss shocking

GLove39 wrote:Tomorrows headline." Turncoat Tommy try see's Italy through"

Tbf, he was born in Italy and his mum is Italian- always going to be divided loyalties. Why I'm so glad to see a picture of my wee niece in her baby sized Ireland rugby shirt today- she has an English dad, but my sister seems to be keeping her right. Only seven months old but you've got to start them early, you know?

Notch wrote:

GLove39 wrote:Tomorrows headline." Turncoat Tommy try see's Italy through"

Tbf, he was born in Italy and his mum is Italian- always going to be divided loyalties. Why I'm so glad to see a picture of my wee niece in her baby sized Ireland rugby shirt today- she has an English dad, but my sister seems to be keeping her right. Only seven months old but you've got to start them early, you know?

Your sister will see sense one day!   

nobbled wrote:Sorry Scotland, but I think Walsh has already decided who is going to win this one.

+1. You have my sympathy Scotland.   

This may be a bit left field but I would bring on Evans at 15 and move Hogg to 10 with Weir going off. That would bring at bit more speed and attacking flair to the Scottish backline.

See Humphries picking his brain

Where the hell is the follow up, Lamont makes a great tackle and still is the only one following behind Hamilton (YES HAMILTON!)...... we need a gun up our arse

Walsh is being a total boobie. If I wanted to see jubblies on the tele I'd put on babestation.

Weir just can't orchestrate a backline

Support play is killing Scotland here.

Should have taken the points then.

Plonkers must take the 3 points

I wanna tear my eyes out, Laidlaw is so slow at passing!!

Three number eights again!!!

FFS

Scotland score   

 

GO ON DUNBAR!!!

Boom. Turnover ball. We don't kick it. Score.

Got there in the end Italy over confidence back fired

Put Dunbar's line for the try there down to Hogg, wonderful pass and gave Dunbar an excellent line for the break by sucking the extra defender in.

Tramptastic wrote:I wanna tear my eyes out, Laidlaw is so slow at passing!!

Add to that the Italians should have been pinged a couple of times for offside and it means it's doubly hard for the Scots not to be tackled behind the game-line.

Yeah for the try  

Did I just imagine that?

Now that is why Denton never passes.

Come on Scotland!

Just nipped to the shops so missed the try. Everything to play for now, going to be an exciting ending.

Come on Scotties

Much, much better from Scotland

Great stuff from Evans there, two tackles and nearly turned the ball over. That's the commitment Scotland need.

Too slow Laidlaw, when Walsh says use it then USE IT. You know he will ping for things like that.

Cussiter. Now.

Laidaw needs to get the ball away. Stands there looking at it.

Time for cusiter?

Scotland are going to edge this (I hope)

And as if by magic. On comes cus

Excellent try from Dunbar. Walsh will try and cancel it out though

AGAIN we lose it because laidlaw has no idea what to do with it!

Walsh clutching at straws now

smexy rugby like

you lose what bud!

try !

no try!

come on

Great finish by Dunbar there! I think thats all perfectly fine on the replay.

Great try if given. Walsh doing his best to disallow it.

nothing forward about that

Deserved try for Scotland. Scott Johnson is some coach!

Well done Dunbar.

Romania and Georgia just qualified for the RWC.

Yeah..
well done scotties

Great stuff from Scotland, well done to them. They have deserved this.