No points for artistic impression, a serious injury worry, hair-raising lapses in defence and often execrable handling skills.
Yes, it could only be Scotland putting the finishing touches to their World Cup preparations. This was a fitful, frustrating and often disjointed game, but it had one significant point in its favour. Scotland may have misfired all over the pitch, but they were ahead on the scoreboard at the end.
For that, they can thank the galvanising effect of the words spoken by Al Kellock, their captain, after Italy had snatched a second try eight minutes into the second half. To all intents and purposes, Italy had Scotland on the rack at that point, and another score might have killed the hosts off. Kellock hauled his team back on to the rails, and if there was a stroke of luck about the Mike Blair try that opened up Scotland’s lead again, then it was certainly no more than they deserved.
Andy Robinson’s final World Cup squad might still depend on whether the knee injury suffered by Nikki Walker in the game’s final moments is as serious as it looked last night. However, the Scotland coach suggested that he already knows the make-up of his party. In truth, there is no great amount of wriggle room, but the indications are that most of the players who finished the game will be heading for the Antipodes.
That should be good news for Euan Murray and Chris Cusiter, both of whom had to prove their fitness as well as their form. Murray and Cusiter had carried injuries through the summer training camp and had risen from their sick beds only just in time to be selected for this game. It would be pushing it so say that either set the heather alight in the minutes they were given, but neither did they do any harm to their cases.
Whether Scotland’s confidence is holding up quite as well is another matter entirely. Had they played the full 80 minutes as well as they did the first 10, they would have won by a margin the length of Princes Street, but after a brisk opening they unravelled horribly and the middle third of the match was a series of minor disasters. Italy’s first try was a thing of rare beauty, but it was hardly an unstoppable move, while the second had a distinct whiff of calamity about it.
Still, there were bright spots too. Mike Blair had a good hit out, improbably sharp after such a long lay-off, and the set-piece worked reasonably well on the front foot. Against that, the Scottish scrum was creaking badly on Italian ball and there was a powerful impression that they had been caught on the hop by Italy’s aggression in that area.
Scotland also functioned sweetly in the midfield, where Nick De Luca continued where he had left off against Ireland a fortnight ago with a performance of wit, pace and vision. Outside him, Max Evans looked sharp, and Simon Danielli put in a decent, if unspectacular shift on the opposite wing. Sadly, the only spectacle offered by Rory Lamont at full-back was his floundering, and unsuccessful, attempt to stop Tommaso Benvenuti from collecting Italy’s first try, but he didn’t do a lot wrong on either side of that howler.
Scotland, though, really will have to step up a few gears as far as finishing off their chances. They have figured out how to open sides up, but getting over the line is still a massive problem. They did score two tries, but the truth of the matter is that they could have put six on the board.
That opening score fell to Alasdair Dickinson, a player who had made his Test debut in the 2007 World Cup but had not managed to embroider his record with a try in any of the 20 Tests he had played since. However, when Evans broke through some rather weak Italian tackling 20 yards out, regained his footing and ploughed towards the line, Dickinson was perfectly placed to take the winger’s inside pass and scuttle over the line.
The game was only 10 minutes old at that point but Scotland had posted notice of their intention to keep the scoreboard moving as early as the second minute, when Dan Parks had rifled over a penalty. But then came a stutter. From a forceful scrum in the Italy 22, the mighty number eight Sergio Parisse blasted away, with scrum-half Fabio Semenzato and full-back Andrea Masi carrying the move to halfway. Flanker Paul Derbyshire made a few critical yards before shifting the ball to Benvenuti, who rounded Lamont all too easily and powered over.
Italy got their second try eight minutes after the break after Blair failed to tidy up a kick through from Benvenuti and Semenzato ducked under Richie Vernon’s attempted tackle and scuttled over. A disaster beckoned, but captain Kellock came to the fore and from then on Scotland rarely looked troubled, moving out of sight when Blair charged down a feeble kick by Masi and won the race to the touchdown. Parks added his second conversion, and then later clipped over a third penalty.
Scotland: R Lamont; M Evans, N De Luca, G Morrison, S Danielli; D Parks, M Blair; A Dickinson, S Lawson, M Low , N Hines, A Kellock (capt), K Brown, J Barclay, R Vernon. Replacements: D Hall for Lawsoon (70), E Murray for Low (53), R Gray for Hines (61), R Rennie for vernon (70), C Cusiter for Blair (61), R Jackson for Parks (61), N Walker for Danielli (53).
Italy: A Masi; T Benvenuti, G Canale, G Garcia, M Bergamasco; L Orquera, F Semenzato; A Lo Cicero, F Ongaro, M Castrogiovanni, C Del Fava, C van Zyl, P Derbyshire, R Barbieri, S Parisse (capt). Replacements: T D’Apice (for Ongaro, 40), L Cittadini for Lo Cicero (70), M Bortolami, J Furno for del Fava (50), E Gori for Canale (76), R Bocchino (L Orquera, 56), A Zanni for Derbyshire (61).
Referee: D Pearson (England)
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