Scotland back to winning ways with 29-0 win over Italy
Last Updated: 18/03/17 8:08pm
Scotland got back to winning ways as they claimed a 29-0 bonus-point win over Italy at Murrayfield.
The Scots' 61-21 defeat by England last weekend brought them crashing down to earth after their tails were up with wins against Ireland and Wales.
However tries from Finn Russell, Matt Scott, Tim Visser and Tommy Seymour mean the Dark Blues finish a Six Nations campaign with three wins for the first time since 2006.
Yet they were denied their highest championship finish since winning the final edition of the Five Nations as victories for France and Ireland on the final day left them languishing in fourth.
The win was a perfect send-off for Scotland's head coach Vern Cotter, who will vacate his role as Scotland coach and will be replaced by Gregor Townsend.
Turning point
Scotland were 15-0 up and under the cosh in the second half with John Barclay in the sin-bin. A try for Italy would have brought the Azzurri right back into the game. However, a tremendous defensive effort from the Scots denied Italy with Stuart Hogg, often maligned for his defence, putting in a try-saving tackle to hold Angelo Esposito. Minutes later, Scotland ventured into the Italy territory for the first time in that half and came away with a seven-pointer.
The good
Scotland soaked up the usual Italy pressure and made the most of their chances with some fine skills and the ability to attack space. Their forwards also really stood out - both at the scrum and in the breakdown where they looked to really dominate the Italians. Confidence was high in the Scotland team and showed in defence when they were under the cosh for a good 10 minutes but held the visitors out.
The bad
Italy are low in confidence and it showed in everything they did. Carlo Canna had a shocking day with the boot as he missed three relatively straight forward shots at goal. Italy's set-piece was also a mess - they were totally dominated at the scrum and could not win their own lineout. They also rushed their attack and should have scored when Scotland were down to 14 men.
Man of the match
Reaction
Scotland coach Vern Cotter: "I'm very pleased, coming from a game at Twickenham that didn't fall our way, to keep a team try-less.
"The three wins is great. It's a reflection of the work these guys put in. Those records are nice. It was nice to be able to finish at home with the bonus point. It wasn't always perfect, but we got there in the end. Job done.
"I am not going to talk about legacies. I was a supporter before I came here and I'll be a supporter now that we are moving on.
"But it wasn't just me. Everyone has worked hard in this. I have great coaches around me, good people. It's just good to work with people and strive to move forward and get better. That is all we have done and now these guys, we'll look forward to seeing them put the jersey on and get out there and play again."
