Scotland started the Six Nations tournament with a win, defeating Italy 31-19. The Scottish team earned an offensive bonus point for scoring four or more tries. Italy put up a strong fight, but ultimately couldn’t repeat their victory from last year in Rome. Italian rugby has shown significant progress, and they demonstrated that they won’t be easy to beat in 2025.
The Scottish team, also known as the XV of the thistle, is looking to prove themselves against stronger teams, such as France and Ireland, in the tournament. Their next match against Ireland on February 9 will likely be a crucial test. Scotland had a strong start to the game, with tries from Darge and Jones, and conversions by Russell.
Despite the initial lead, Italy’s defense improved over time, and they were able to add points through two penalty kicks by Allan. The score was 14-6 in Scotland’s favor after 30 minutes, but Italy stayed in the game. The Scottish team continued to push, and White expanded their lead after a great pass from Cherry.
At the end of the first half, Allan scored another penalty kick, making the score 19-9 in Scotland’s favor. In the second half, Italy came back strong, with a penalty kick from Allan and a try from Brex. This tied the game at 19-19, with over half an hour left to play.
The Scottish team responded with a try from Jones, which put them back in the lead. They almost sealed the win with a fifth try, but Italy continued to fight. The Italian team attacked tirelessly, but Scotland’s defense held strong, preventing them from reducing the deficit and earning a defensive bonus.
The final score was 31-19 in Scotland’s favor, with tries from Darge, Jones, White, and Jones again. Italy’s points came from penalty kicks by Allan and a try from Brex. The teams that played were: Scotland: Schoeman, Cherry, Fagerson, Jonny Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Darge, Matt Fagerson; White, Finn Russell; Duhan Van Der Merwe, McDowall, Huw Jones, Darcy Graham, and Kinghorn. Italy: ESPECHETTI, Nicotera, Ferrari, Lamb-Cona, Ruzz, S. Negri, Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone; Page-Relo, Paolo Garbisi; Ioane, Menoncello, Brex, Capuzzo, and Allan.
The referee for the match was Karl Dickson from England. The game was played at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh, and Huw Jones was chosen as the MVP. The score marker was as follows: 7-0, min.4: Darge’s try, converted by Russell; 14-0, min.9: Huw Jones try, converted by Russell; 14-3, min.21: Allan’s penalty kick; 14-6, min.29: Allan’s penalty kick; 19-6, min.30: White’s try; 19-9, min.40: Allan’s penalty kick; 26-19, min.61: Jones’ try, converted by Russell; 31-19, min.66: Jones’ try.