Scotland prop Allan Jacobsen insists destroying Italy's front row is the main objective for Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash in Rome.
Prop insists Scots are focused on scrum
Scotland prop Allan Jacobsen insists destroying Italy's front row is the main objective for Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash in Rome.
Edinburgh loosehead Jacobsen, who is included in the starting XV for the Stadio Flaminio showdown, believes Scotland's best route to victory is to get on top of the Azzurri's scrum.
"It's a massive part of their game, it always has been a massive part of their game, the scrum," said Jacobsen.
"They've got massive pride in it. They see it as a bit of an insult if they don't do so well, they don't feel good about themselves. That's something we're really focused on."
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Jacobsen believes the rest of the Italy team will collapse should Scotland dominate up front.
"From the games I've played against them over the years, the games we've won are the games we've done well up front in, particularly in the scrum," he said.
"And vice-versa. The games where we've struggled at the breakdown and in the scrum and the mauls, those are the games where they've come out on top."
Jacobsen's recall sees him reunited with Ross Ford and Euan Murray in the front row, a trio that earned great acclaim during the autumn internationals in 2008.
The last game the threesome played together was coincidentally Scotland's convincing victory over Italy during last year's Six Nations, but Jacobsen insists previous performances with his front-row colleagues will count for nothing on Saturday.
"We've played well together in the past, but that is in the past," added Jacobsen.
"We know we can scrum well together and we need to go out and do that. That'll be a massive part of the game at the weekend."
Relegated
Andy Robinson named Jacobsen to start in his first three games as Scotland boss before relegating him to the bench in favour of fit-again Alasdair Dickinson for the Six Nations opener against France.
Dickinson has since come under fire for his performance in the scrum during the defeats to France and Wales.
"Some people seem to take the blame for stuff like that," added Jacobsen.
"But I know myself from a scrummaging point of view, it's an eight-man thing, it's a team thing."
