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Scotland will be looking for their first victory of the Six Nations when they take on Italy in Saturday’s opening match at the Stadio Olimpico.
Both sides are currently winless in this year’s championship, with the Italians suffering successive losses against Wales and France and Scotland falling to narrow defeats against Ireland and England, leaving the pressure on in what is widely regarded as the duel for the Wooden Spoon.
Italy coach Franco Smith makes just one change to his starting line-up as Alessandro Zanni returns for his 119th cap, taking him level with legendary prop Martin Castrogiovani as the nation’s second all-time capped player behind Sergio Parisse, with Dean Budd dropping to the bench.
Scotland boss Gregor Townsend meanwhile makes three changes to the side that lost at home to England, with Huw Jones dropped from the side completely as Chris Harris is preferred in the centre. Ben Toolis replaces the injured Jonny Gray at lock, and Stuart McInally returns at hooker in place of Fraser Brown. However, the fallout from the very public row between Townsned and exiled fly-half Finn Russell continues to overshadow the side’s campaign.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match.
Created with Sketch.
Created with Sketch.
1/16 Six Nations team of round two
England regained the Calcutta Cup with a 13-6 victory over Scotland, while Ireland maintained their 100 per cent record with a bonus-point win over Wales and France stumbled their way past Italy. So who makes our team of the weekend after round two?
Getty Images
2/16 15. Jordan Larmour (Ireland)
The Irishman has looked assured since replacing Rob Kearney as Ireland’s No 1 full-back and brought Saturday’s Aviva Staium encounter to life, beating four Welsh defenders with a beauty of a side-step that opened the door for the first try of the match. Kearney remains a pair of safe hands at the back, but Larmour is proving how he gives Ireland an extra cutting edge in attack.
AFP via Getty Images
3/16 14. Andrew Conway (Ireland)
Conway is quietly going about his business as the best-performing wing so far in the Six Nations, having put in two very strong performances so far. The Munster-man looked strong in defence and took his chance when it presented itself to seal the bonus point.
AP
4/16 13. Arthur Vincent (France)
Given the task of replacing the injured Virimi Vakatawa and did himself justice with an assured performance. The centre contributed well with ball in hand but it was his defensive work that stood out with 16 successful tackles to lead the line in stopping a much-improved Italian side.
AP
5/16 12. Sam Johnson (Scotland)
A few contenders for the shirt as both Owen Farrell and Bundee Aki has positive impacts this weekend, but Johnson gets the nod for being the standout Scot in defeat during the Calcutta Cup clash. The centre has put in two good performances in as many weeks, only for no reward.
REUTERS
6/16 11. Matteo Minozzi (Italy)
His head-to-head battle against Teddy Thomas saw both score tries, but it was Minozzi who showed a more all-round game that helped drag Italy back into the fight when they were in danger of being blown out of the game. As well as his try, Minozzi showed good awareness and handling to link with his teammates to unlock the most impressive defence from the opening weekend.
EPA
7/16 10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
George Ford performed well under pressure at Murrayfield and Romain Ntamack did well attacking-wise, but Sexton’s return to form cannot be overlooked. The Ireland captaincy is helping to bring the best out of him once more, and not only did he vary up his pass-to-kick ratio nicely, but he also put in a solid shift defensively – as depicted by his busted cheek when he was eventually replaced.
REUTERS
8/16 9. Anthoine Dupont (France)
The first of four players to maintain their place in our team of the weekend, Dupont is threatening to make the Player of the Tournament award a one-man race if he maintains this level of performance. It was his miss-pass that sent Gregory Alldritt in for a try, while he also made another outside break and no-look pass that split apart the defence. A word for his replacement Baptiste Serin, who scored a sumptuous individual effort.
Getty Images
9/16 1. Ellis Genge (England)
Genge may be consigned to the role of replacement at the moment but he is doing his best to batter the door down to the starting line-up in his own uncompromising way. Twice now he has come on to noticeably improve England’s scrum, which has given them the platform they need to seize control of games, and his try finally broke Scotland’s spirit to take the Calcutta Cup back south of the border.
Getty Images
10/16 2. Julien Marchand (France)
Marchand endured a slight wobble in the lineout mid-match, but it was sandwiched by a virtuoso performance with and without the ball. The hooker was one of Les Bleus most prominent carriers, but he also chipped in with 11 tackles in a 100 per cent defensive showing.
REUTERS
11/16 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
The Irish tighthead was at his rampaging best to barrel over the Welsh defence and score Ireland’s second try, putting them back in front, but it was his reaction to winning a scrum penalty on their own five-metre line that prompted the biggest roar of the match. Furlong keeps his place comfortably as the outstanding tighthead of the Six Nations so far.
PA
12/16 4. Maro Itoje (England)
Itoje proved England’s defensive linchpin with a whopping 23 tackles in the face of Storm Ciara as the lock made a right nuisance of himself, including in the set-piece where he helped to pick apart the Scottish lineout.
AFP via Getty Images
13/16 5. James Ryan (Ireland)
Ryan keeps his place in the side with another mammoth showing with the ball in hand. Ryan carried more than any other Irish player alongside Larmour to make 50 metres from an impressive 14 attempts, and added onto that was a team-leading 18 tackles that helps to mark him out as the player of the round.
AFP via Getty Images
14/16 6. CJ Stander (Ireland)
Like Ryan, Stander retains his place with a second man-of-the-match gong in as many games. Strictly speaking, Stander played the duration at No 8 this week but such was his performance – and that of a certain Englishman – we had to find space to squeeze them both into the back-row.
AFP via Getty Images
15/16 7. Sam Underhill (England)
The flanker may not have landed all of his tackle attempts but the ones he did – 16 in total – stopped the Scots in their tracks. Underhill showed the best of his game when he needed just a split-second to strip the ball at the breakdown late in the first half and release Elliot Daly to counter.
AFP via Getty Images
16/16 8. Tom Curry (England)
Curry answered his critics in the No 8 shirt with a dominant showing at Murrayfield. The young Sale forward helped protect full-back George Furbank by dropping deep, made 12 successful tackles and led a back-row unit that delivered five turnovers in the opening half, and in a game where the hard yards were tough to come by his 70 metres were game-defining.
AFP via Getty Images
1/16 Six Nations team of round two
England regained the Calcutta Cup with a 13-6 victory over Scotland, while Ireland maintained their 100 per cent record with a bonus-point win over Wales and France stumbled their way past Italy. So who makes our team of the weekend after round two?
Getty Images
2/16 15. Jordan Larmour (Ireland)
The Irishman has looked assured since replacing Rob Kearney as Ireland’s No 1 full-back and brought Saturday’s Aviva Staium encounter to life, beating four Welsh defenders with a beauty of a side-step that opened the door for the first try of the match. Kearney remains a pair of safe hands at the back, but Larmour is proving how he gives Ireland an extra cutting edge in attack.
AFP via Getty Images
3/16 14. Andrew Conway (Ireland)
Conway is quietly going about his business as the best-performing wing so far in the Six Nations, having put in two very strong performances so far. The Munster-man looked strong in defence and took his chance when it presented itself to seal the bonus point.
AP
4/16 13. Arthur Vincent (France)
Given the task of replacing the injured Virimi Vakatawa and did himself justice with an assured performance. The centre contributed well with ball in hand but it was his defensive work that stood out with 16 successful tackles to lead the line in stopping a much-improved Italian side.
AP
5/16 12. Sam Johnson (Scotland)
A few contenders for the shirt as both Owen Farrell and Bundee Aki has positive impacts this weekend, but Johnson gets the nod for being the standout Scot in defeat during the Calcutta Cup clash. The centre has put in two good performances in as many weeks, only for no reward.
REUTERS
6/16 11. Matteo Minozzi (Italy)
His head-to-head battle against Teddy Thomas saw both score tries, but it was Minozzi who showed a more all-round game that helped drag Italy back into the fight when they were in danger of being blown out of the game. As well as his try, Minozzi showed good awareness and handling to link with his teammates to unlock the most impressive defence from the opening weekend.
EPA
7/16 10. Johnny Sexton (Ireland)
George Ford performed well under pressure at Murrayfield and Romain Ntamack did well attacking-wise, but Sexton’s return to form cannot be overlooked. The Ireland captaincy is helping to bring the best out of him once more, and not only did he vary up his pass-to-kick ratio nicely, but he also put in a solid shift defensively – as depicted by his busted cheek when he was eventually replaced.
REUTERS
8/16 9. Anthoine Dupont (France)
The first of four players to maintain their place in our team of the weekend, Dupont is threatening to make the Player of the Tournament award a one-man race if he maintains this level of performance. It was his miss-pass that sent Gregory Alldritt in for a try, while he also made another outside break and no-look pass that split apart the defence. A word for his replacement Baptiste Serin, who scored a sumptuous individual effort.
Getty Images
9/16 1. Ellis Genge (England)
Genge may be consigned to the role of replacement at the moment but he is doing his best to batter the door down to the starting line-up in his own uncompromising way. Twice now he has come on to noticeably improve England’s scrum, which has given them the platform they need to seize control of games, and his try finally broke Scotland’s spirit to take the Calcutta Cup back south of the border.
Getty Images
10/16 2. Julien Marchand (France)
Marchand endured a slight wobble in the lineout mid-match, but it was sandwiched by a virtuoso performance with and without the ball. The hooker was one of Les Bleus most prominent carriers, but he also chipped in with 11 tackles in a 100 per cent defensive showing.
REUTERS
11/16 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
The Irish tighthead was at his rampaging best to barrel over the Welsh defence and score Ireland’s second try, putting them back in front, but it was his reaction to winning a scrum penalty on their own five-metre line that prompted the biggest roar of the match. Furlong keeps his place comfortably as the outstanding tighthead of the Six Nations so far.
PA
12/16 4. Maro Itoje (England)
Itoje proved England’s defensive linchpin with a whopping 23 tackles in the face of Storm Ciara as the lock made a right nuisance of himself, including in the set-piece where he helped to pick apart the Scottish lineout.
AFP via Getty Images
13/16 5. James Ryan (Ireland)
Ryan keeps his place in the side with another mammoth showing with the ball in hand. Ryan carried more than any other Irish player alongside Larmour to make 50 metres from an impressive 14 attempts, and added onto that was a team-leading 18 tackles that helps to mark him out as the player of the round.
AFP via Getty Images
14/16 6. CJ Stander (Ireland)
Like Ryan, Stander retains his place with a second man-of-the-match gong in as many games. Strictly speaking, Stander played the duration at No 8 this week but such was his performance – and that of a certain Englishman – we had to find space to squeeze them both into the back-row.
AFP via Getty Images
15/16 7. Sam Underhill (England)
The flanker may not have landed all of his tackle attempts but the ones he did – 16 in total – stopped the Scots in their tracks. Underhill showed the best of his game when he needed just a split-second to strip the ball at the breakdown late in the first half and release Elliot Daly to counter.
AFP via Getty Images
16/16 8. Tom Curry (England)
Curry answered his critics in the No 8 shirt with a dominant showing at Murrayfield. The young Sale forward helped protect full-back George Furbank by dropping deep, made 12 successful tackles and led a back-row unit that delivered five turnovers in the opening half, and in a game where the hard yards were tough to come by his 70 metres were game-defining.
AFP via Getty Images
When is the match?
Italy vs Scotland takes place on Saturday 22 February at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
What time does it start?
The match kicks off at 2:15pm.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on ITV and online on the ITV Hub from 1:25pm. Highlights will be shown on BBC Two at 6pm on Sunday.
Teams
Italy: J Hayward (Benetton); M Bellini (Zebre), L Morisi (Benetton), C Canna (Zebre), M Minozzi (Wasps); T Allan (Benetton), C Braley (Gloucester); A Lovotti (Zebre), L Bigi (Zebre, capt), G Zilocchi (Zebre), A Zanni (Benetton), N Cannone (Benetton), J Polledri (Gloucester), S Negri (Benetton), A Steyn (Benetton).
Replacements: F Zani (Benetton), D Fischetti (Zebre), M Riccioni (Benetton), M Lazzaroni (Benetton), D Budd (Benetton), G Licata (Zebre), G Palazzani (Zebre), G Bisegni (Zebre).
Scotland: S Hogg (Exeter, capt); S Maitland (Saracens), C Harris (Gloucester), S Johnson (Glasgow), B Kinghorn (Edinburgh); A Hastings (Glasgow), A Price (Glasgow); R Sutherland (Edinburgh), S McInally (Edinburgh), Z Fagerson (Glasgow), B Toolis (Edinburgh), S Cummings (Glasgow), J Ritchie (Edinburgh), H Watson (Edinburgh), M Bradbury (Edinburgh).
Replacements: F Brown (Glasgow), A Dell (London Irish), W Nel (Edinburgh), G Gilchrist (Edinburgh), M Fagerson (Glasgow), G Horne (Glasgow), R Hutchinson (Northampton), B McGuigan (Sale).
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand).
Odds
Italy to win: 16/5
Scotland to win: 1/3
Draw: 33/1
Prediction
Italy 12-30 Scotland: Scotland have lost both of their games so far this championship by a converted try and have not looked a million miles away from pinching both victories, so it should not take too much for Townsend’s side to improve in order to see off an Italian side going through something of a messy transition.