Italy 18-15 Scotland: Home side secures Six Nations victory, increasing pressure on Gregor Townsend
Pressure increased on Gregor Townsend as Scotland experienced a disappointing start to the Six Nations, falling 18-15 to Italy in a rain-soaked Rome.
The motivated Azzurri surged to a 12-point advantage within the first 14 minutes, while the Scots—who had left out key back-three players Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, and Duhan van der Merwe amid concerns regarding their form—struggled to ignite their offense, and their set-piece repeatedly faltered.
As Italy maintained their grip for a well-deserved win on a drenched Stadio Olimpico pitch, this marked the first occasion since 2020 that Townsend’s team had lost their opening match of the Six Nations.
The timing of this poor performance in the Eternal City could not have been worse for the long-serving head coach, especially as his position was already under significant scrutiny following a disappointing autumn series and his controversial choice to accept a part-time consultancy role with Red Bull.
A clash at Murrayfield against England is next on the agenda for the beleaguered Townsend.
Scotland had no reason to underestimate the Italians, considering that nine of their starting XV had also played in the 31-29 defeat during their last visit to Rome in March 2024.
However, they were caught off guard as the hosts—missing key players Sebastian Negri and Ange Capuozzo due to injury—made their breakthrough in the eighth minute.
Juan Ignacio Brex’s grubber kick to the right sent Louis Lynagh racing towards the line, and the winger gleefully slid over. Paolo Garbisi’s conversion attempt struck the post.
Italy scored again in the 14th minute when Lynagh outleaped Jamie Dobie for a high ball, and captain Michele Lamaro delivered a superb pass to the left for Tommaso Menoncello, who dashed over the line, leaving the Scots stunned before Garbisi added the conversion.
As heavy rain poured from the sky in Rome, Scotland found themselves in significant trouble.
They managed to momentarily halt the Italian onslaught, creating a period of pressure in the 22 that culminated in Jack Dempsey forcing his way through from close range to score in the 24th minute, with Finn Russell converting.
Italy reestablished their dominance in the 35th minute with a Garbisi penalty, just moments after the stand-off had missed a drop goal attempt.
Trailing by eight points at halftime, a Russell penalty in the 46th minute brought the Scots back within a score.
However, the Italians quickly responded with another Garbisi penalty after Ewan Ashman, who was having a challenging afternoon, was penalized for a high tackle.
The hooker was promptly replaced by George Turner, with Graham also coming on for Dobie.
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Within five minutes of entering the match, however, Turner received a yellow card for a dangerous clearout on Manuel Zuliani, although the Azzurri could not capitalize on their numerical advantage.
Just as the game appeared to be slipping away from the visitors, they found a glimmer of hope in the 67th minute when substitute George Horne dove over on the right following a lineout. Russell’s conversion attempt went wide.
This encapsulated a dismal afternoon for the Scots, as they barely posed a threat to secure the score they needed in the final moments, leaving their championship aspirations nearly extinguished after the first matchday.
