Italy v Scotland 6 Nations Championship Saturday 12th March 2022

First topic message reminder :

Italy v Scotland
6 Nations Championship
Stadio Olympico
Rome

Saturday 12th March
KO 15.15 (local time)


So my biannual trip to Rome has come along again and I am wondering what i am going to be seeing this time around.

Having been the past two occasions, I am less full of the joys than some Scottish fans may be. We have made pretty hard work of it on both occasions and quite frankly aught to have lost 4 years ago. It was and remains, the classic banana skin game for a Scottish team and the one that the Italians will always feel that they have got a chance.

I might be feeling more confident had we really done ourselves any kind of justice in the past two games, but we certainly have not.

I might also be feeling a bit more confident were any of our star players living up to their billing and showing any kind of form, but they are not.

I also might be feeling a lot more confident were we able to put out our strongest side, wheras in reality we have gone from our best ever depth, to digging deep into the barrel in only a matter of weeks.


This is still a game we should win and comfortably, but i am not really sure that is what it will be at the end of the day and I will probably be happy with a one point win with an 80th minute drop goal if that is what it takes to steady the ship, as at the moment it seems all over the place.


Fortunately for us, Italy continue to struggle and with injuries and suspensions, will also be a way away from their best team. They have been well beaten in all three games so far, despite blooding their next generation of players and are clearly still struggling in this competition even if there are some decent signs of progress for the future. They won't lack passion and commitment, as their heroic defensive effort against Ireland showed but may still lack the game craft to win at this level yet.

The Scotland team now seems far from clear. Surely some players need to pay with their shirts for the poor performances in the last two games, but a wholesale clearout seems unlikely and a bench spot is maybe a more realistic option to remind a misfiring star player that they are not indispensable.

So maybe something like this:


1. Schoeman
2, McInally
3. Fagerson Z - was in the team of the week last week for his scrumaging, even if the stupid penalties persist
4. Gilchrist
5. Skinner
6. Darge
7. Watson
8. Bayliss - Fagerson still not fit and Bradbury still not convincing
9. White - deserves a start
10. Kinghorn - if not now then when?
11. Graham
12. Tuipolotu
13. Bennett
14. Steyn - assuming DVDM is out and with other injuries probably the safest option
15. Hogg


Subs:

Dell - hard to think who else is fit
Turner - though Ashman must be close
Nel/Berghan - can't make up my mind
Hodgson
Christie - deserves another crack and covers the whole of the back row
Price - hopefully warming the pine will have the desired effect
Russell - see above
Harris - but would have no issue with another flair player like Hutchinson coming in.


With that selection, I would expect to see Blairhorn moving out into the back three at some stage probably early in the second half and hopefully Price and Russell coming on to finish the game.

I live in hope!

Johnson didn't need to go tackle the guy as well - needed him covering the support runners

Poor tackle attempt from steyn though. Long afternoon ahead!

That has to be a yellow

You couldn't see a more obvious example of a yellow card

Good to see Pearce do that after yesterday's was missed.

Absolutely the right call by the ref. The Italian player has a golf ball appearing on the side of his face.

Good call from Luke Pearce there, good to see that head injuries are taken seriously

See. We know F all about rugby. Folk raging at Harris and his lack of attack but he’s on for a hat trick now

Italy certainly making a game of it Great try by the Italians only n2 points in it....Thought Scotland would be further ahead by now.

Scotland just scored a third try.

Harris justifying his selection!

Got to say for once it's nice to see the opposition working hard and not getting anything and us getting the scores easy.

Anyone feel like Harris and Johnson have a point to prove?

NeilyBroon wrote:Anyone feel like Harris and Johnson have a point to prove?

Reckon they read this forum?

Italian prop literally knocks the ball at the back of the ruck when Price is trying to play it - no pen.

They obviously read one of jimbo's extensive match previews

Well it's weird to say but our all round game has been poor but we've scored 3 good tries!

Game is easy to sum up

Full of errors from both sides. Ref being inconsistent as heck

Two tries made from great individual breaks and one set piece move

Chris Harris the hardest working man in world rugby now also scoring tries to silence the Naysayers

RDW wrote:Well it's weird to say but our all round game has been poor but we've scored 3 good tries!

Agreed, but still doesn't paper over the cracks. Fair play to price, he's pulled his finger out a bit. Russell needs to go off, any other team we'd be well down. A lot of risky passes unnecessarily. I'd like to see vellacott and Hastings get at least 20 minutes. Dreading Dublin already!

So...our toothless centre have both scored, Harris is on a hat trick and Rory Darge is not the stand out back row. All as expected.
Far too many penalties conceded.
Dancer looks like he's operating at 80%
Plus ca change

It's a point that all of our positive aspects of that half didn't really have any Russell involvement! He's a bit of a passenger just now

Yeah Johnson has been really impressive. Looks very sharp. Darge also looking excellent at blindside! How will Ritchie get back into the squad?!?

RDW wrote:Harris justifying his selection!

Early on Scotland, twice played a move to put Harris outside their 13. Harris tried the arcing outside line. Each time he was caught. Huw Jones or Mark Bennett and they're away.

bsando wrote:Yeah Johnson has been really impressive. Looks very sharp. Darge also looking excellent at blindside! How will Ritchie get back into the squad?!?

We'll just have very good back up either way! Great place to be when we can call on subs who could improve the performance in key positions. Imagine if Dempsey switches to Scotland. Darge/Ritchie and Fagerson/Dempsey. When else have we had two complete back rows? Not to mention, mucaster, Boyle all to come through. That leatherbarrow at u20 looks like a unit too.

Half time and Italy only 9 points behind.
A real entertaining first half lets hope they ((Italy) do not go into a shell...and stop playing in the second half.

Come on Italy score some more try's please.

majesticimperialman wrote:Half time and Italy only 9 points behind.
A real entertaining first half lets hope they ((Italy) do not go into a shell...and stop playing in the second half.

Come on Italy score some more try's please.

I have to say despite supporting Scotland it's nice to see Italy give us a bit of a game. They deserve a break really (obviously I hope they don't score more against us though!)

Well it's not dull is it ...

Finn's kicking has been pretty aimless and limp

This very much has a 5th v 6th place feel about it as a contest.

Italian 23 that’s just come on looks like he’s 12

Is this what getting old feels like jimbo?

I suspect there's not going to be much between 3rd to 5th this year ...

Scotland looking comfortable now - suspect the score will just get bigger and bigger now

Russell just doesn’t even look like he wants to be out there.

Totally disinterested

tigertattie wrote:Russell just doesn’t even look like he wants to be out there.

Totally disinterested

I reckon at 60 we'll see vellacott and Hastings on

Talking of disinterested here's Maggie!

NeilyBroon wrote:

tigertattie wrote:Russell just doesn’t even look like he wants to be out there.

Totally disinterested

I reckon at 60 we'll see vellacott and Hastings on

Do it now I say.

Get the fagerson boys off too to learn how to catch a ball

Price has gone from rank to motm contender this afternoon

Might as well get the full bench on now

This has to be the most tries Italy have scored recently?

NeilyBroon wrote:This has to be the most tries Italy have scored recently?

What? Both of them???

Is Russell injured? He’s just not doing anything

tigertattie wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:This has to be the most tries Italy have scored recently?

What? Both of them???

Exactly! Defence and discipline have just evaporated this year. Really poor from Scotland

Ireland will put 6 tries or more on us. Going to be a horror show!

How was that number 20 lying in the way of Price not a penalty?!

tigertattie wrote:Italian 23 that’s just come on looks like he’s 12

Is this what getting old feels like jimbo?

Aye tigertattie, we have heard the chimes of midnight. 
That's what it feels like in my head.

It's a major waste that Hastings still hasn't come on until now. What's the point in bringing him in to give 4 minutes!

Another toonie tactical blunder

We're a moany bunch aren't we - this the most comfortable win we've had in Rome in a long time!

Hogg and steyn just don’t seem to click together.

Not been impressed with Steyn today. Kick for the try aside he's missed tackles, dropped balls and actually looked a bit slow!

RDW wrote:We're a moany bunch aren't we - this the most comfortable win we've had in Rome in a long time!

Take turners break and price’s intercept out and we’d be facing a loss

We were honking.

Finn was terrible again.

Pride did up his game this week though. As did Harris.

But really Russell has been sooo sooooo bad and that’s where I think we struggled

RDW wrote:We're a moany bunch aren't we - this the most comfortable win we've had in Rome in a long time!

I think we're within our rights to be! Scotland have been woeful! Every other team has pasted this Italian side, our defence has been poor, our discipline has been poor. We were lucky to get the opportunities we did.

So, prediction for next week... Ire 60-10 Sco.