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Scotland Vs Italy Player Ratings As Huw Jones Hat-Trick Proves The Difference In Edinburgh 282j4w

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Here are our Scotland Vs Italy player ratings following Saturday’s Six Nations round-one clash at Murrayfield, which Scotland won 31-19. 

Scotland Vs Italy Player Ratings 2b516

Scotland Player Ratings 713n1n

15 – Blair Kinghorn: 7 1mw48

Marshalled the backfield excellently and slotted in at first receiver, allowing Finn Russell to pop up in more space. Didn’t offer much on the counter but did his job well.

14 – Darcy Graham: 7 725i3p

Was kept largely quiet, but exploded into life in the final quarter to dance through from deep and set up Huw Jones’ second try.

13 – Huw Jones: 10 2i6b6j

Couldn’t have done more for his team. Scored a hat-trick and cemented his Lions credentials with a phenomenal performance.

12 – Stafford McDowall: 5 6y4y3g

Huge shoes to fill in the absence of Sione Tuipulotu, but was mostly anonymous throughout the game. Didn’t do anything wrong, but also added little.

11 – Duhan van der Merwe: 8 2d4i5m

A perfect balance of power and poise as he danced down the touchline to set up the first Jones try. Physical on both sides of the ball and put in the kind of shift we have come to expect.

10 – Finn Russell: 6 6p4z70

Was a loose and patchy performance from the Bath fly-half. Threw the interception that saw Juan-Ignacio Brex score and bring Italy level, but was also involved in some of Scotland’s best attacking play.

Ultimately got away with an off day, but can’t afford to make as many mistakes against Ireland next week.

9 – Ben White: 8 50k5b

Really strong performance and managed the tempo well. Got on the end of Dave Cherry’s offload to score a well deserved try.

8 – Matt Fagerson: 7 612v57

Put himself about all game and was relentlessly physical. Quietly did the hard graft that ensured his side stayed on top at the breakdown and got the win.

7 – Rory Darge: 8 6030e

Another, like Huw Jones, who really threw his name into Lions contention. Dominant at the breakdown and so hard-working, really stood out for the Scots.

6 – Jamie Ritchie: 7 254z1c

Not quite as impressive as the other two Scottish back rowers, but still a good performance and maintained the high standards he has set in recent years.

5 – Grant Gilchrist: 7 19173w

Solid in the line-out and got around the park well, another who did the unseen work, allowing others to shine.

4 – Jonny Gray: 6 6w121x

A good showing on his long-awaited return to test rugby. Not required to make as many tackles as he’s known for, but delivered in his role and helped the team well.

3 – Zander Fagerson: 8 591s55

Played well into the closing stages and was a monster around the fringes. A real tough day at the coal face for the tighthead who more than earned his keep, and provided a solid platform at the scrum.

2 – Dave Cherry: 8 703j5y

A silky back-door offload try assist isn’t something you expect from a hooker, but Cherry delivered it perfectly to set up Ben White.

It’s been over a year since his last test match but what a great return. Line-out was near-perfect as well.

1 – Pierre Schoeman: 6 5bj5w

Got on with his job with minimal fuss. Didn’t stand out like he has done in other games, but solidified the scrum and carried well around the park.

Replacements: 7 6i6rq

The Scottish bench came on to good effect and helped wrestle back momentum in the final quarter.

Particular praise must go to Tom Jordan and George Horne who were both excellent when they came on.

Italy e4q5y

15 – Tommaso Allan: 8 6s51z

Kept the Italians in it with his boot and was one of their best players throughout. Kicking game was good but ultimately lost out.

14 – Ange Capuozzo: 6 3s394o

Never got the ball in space and seems far more suited to fullback then wing. Effectively nullified by Scotland and will be disappointed.

13 – Juan Ignacio Brex: 8 45631a

Another superb showing capped off by the intercept try. Smashed anything that came at him and carried hard all game.

12 – Tommaso Menoncello: 8 6uk3e

Brex and Menoncello are quietly becoming one of the best midfield combos in world rugby. Another top-draw performance alongside his centre partner.

11 – Monty Ioane: 6 1y373t

Italy really struggled to get the ball to their outside backs. Another, like Capuozzo, who suffered as a result. A quiet game he will quickly forget.

10 – Paolo Garbisi: 6 3a6k11

Some good and bad moments from the fly-half but ultimately couldn’t get the Italian attack going. They’ll need more than interception tries if they want to win games this tournament.

9 – Martin Page-Relo: 6 276g67

Poor box kicking and outclassed by his opposite number. Will know he’s better than he showed at the weekend and will hope to prove it against Wales.

8 – Lorenzo Cannone: 6 k5a4l

Carried hard and was involved throughout. Put himself about but Scotland won the breakdown battle.

7 – Michele Lamaro: 6 2x6rn

Not his best game given the levels he’s shown before. No lack of endeavour but didn’t have as much influence as he’d have wanted.

6 – Sebastian Negri: 7 6h35n

Great shift from the big man, back to his hard-carrying best. Worked relentlessly in attack and defence and was Italy’s best back rower.

5 – Federico Ruzza: 5 2c5c44

Poor line-out drills cost Italy in the first half and gave Scotland a commanding lead.

4 – Dino Lamb: 5 3o2o

As above, wasn’t good enough at set-piece and didn’t play as well as he has done since breaking into the Italy side.

3 – Simone Ferrari: 8 4b5mb

Excellent from the tighthead, solid in the scrum and worked hard around the field. Melted a few big Scottish ball carriers in defence.

2 – Giacomo Nicotera: 6 231i4m

The other piece of the malfunctioning line-out. Wasn’t bad around the pitch but set-piece is a hooker’s bread and butter and he needs to improve.

1 – Danilo Fischetti: 8 6e1j6v

Like Ferrari, he was superb all game. A couple of steals at the breakdown and some excellent scrummaging from the big fella.

Replacements: 6 553f4j

Not a bad showing from the bench, with Manuel Zuliani and Simone Gesi doing their best to change the game. But errors and poor execution cost the Azzurri in the end.

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James Chittick
Sports Editor

James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English & Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital & Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before ing Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.

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Author photo
James Chittick Sports Editor

James is an experienced writer covering a wide range of sports, including Premier League and European football, Rugby Union, WWE and the NFL. Having studied English & Creative Writing at Plymouth University, James completed a master's degree in Digital & Social Media Marketing before pursuing a career in Journalism. He then graduated from News Associates in Manchester after finishing their NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism. Since then, James spent time writing for GameRant before ing Reach PLC, where he featured regularly in publications such as the Daily Mirror, Football.LDN, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo, as well as dozens of local titles. Now at SportsCasting, James provides expert analysis and detailed research features, as well as covering breaking news stories.

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