Fall Nations Cup: Italy 17-28 Scotland – Gregor Townsend’s team come back

Scotland recovered from a slow start to beat Italy in their first Fall Nations Cup match for a fifth consecutive victory.

The hosts acted fiercely, with Paolo Garbisi’s boot and a good scorer from Matteo Minozzi that looked like it was worth their first win in nine against Scotland.

But those second-half attempts, coupled with Duhan van der Merwe’s first match, led to a 28-17 victory in Florence.

Gregor Townsend’s team will host France in their second match of the competition next Sunday.

The French postponed their first Group B match against Fiji after a series of coronavirus cases in the latter’s field. It has not yet been decided whether they will be awarded victory.

Italy with much better team in the first half

Italy’s rage for the victory was evident from the start, even before the start, to tell the truth.

The thunderous way in which they sang their anthem was a harbinger of trouble for the Scots, who won 17-0 in Rome in the Six Nations, then followed up with three more victories against France, Georgia and Wales.

To say that Italy deserved their advantage at halftime would be to minimize what they delivered. For the most part, they were at the top and were excellent.

They went ahead 3-0 thanks to a Garbisi penalty, but that was the least of Scotland’s problems. Jamie Ritchie left early for a brain injury evaluation and never returned. Then Rory Sutherland went and was later seen on crutches.

Scotland’s scrum, so strong against Wales, was in trouble. His fall, absolutely dominant at Llanelli, was overtaken by the Italians, who were exceptional on the pitch.

Garbisi made it 6-0 as Scotland’s penalty count, so low in Wales, began to rise ominously.

The moment Scotland received a ball, scored, Van der Merwe cut a great line from Ali Price to cross. It’s two attempts in three tests for the wing. The great man is proving to be everything Scotland expected him to be when he qualified on the residency rule.

The score was against the march and Italy regained dominance in minutes. The attempt that put them back in front was a beauty, starting with Marco Zanon’s ferocity in attack.

He started off by shaking off Duncan Weir’s weak tackle and then delivering Darcy Graham just in case. He led Italy back and found support corridors everywhere. Marcello Violi and Mattia Bellini dodged desperate tackles and Bellini found Minozzi for a top class score.

Garbisi missed the conversion, but all the impulse was theirs. It had been a while since Scotland’s defense had been shattered the way Italy had shattered it. It had been a while since his breakdown and his penalty count looked so disturbing.

The only downside for the Italians was that they had a lead of just four points at halftime. They deserved to be ahead much more.

Scots have to fight … but win win

Garbisi made it 14-7 early in the new half, but that was the galvanizing moment for the visitors. At last they found something, some phases, some control, some Italian weakness.

Even then, Fagerson’s attempt was lucky. Attempting to unload near the Italy line, Hamish Watson saw his pass hit an Italian hand and land on Fagerson’s gloves.

The strut looked momentarily stunned, then trotted over the line. Five easy points, which became seven easy when Weir made it through the conversion.

It all fits in 14-14, but not for long. Under great pressure, Stuart Hogg was judged to have carried the ball over his own line. When the siege ended, Italy had three more points than Garbisi. A quarter of the game remained.

The turning point came with 14 minutes to go. Scotland offered an eminently kickable penalty and a decision to make. A simple three or an offer for five or seven? They went for the latter, and it was worth it.

Turner broke the lineout maul and brought Scotland closer. Oli Kebble pulled them even closer. Price then found Cummings outside of him and the lock collapsed. Weir added the extra two and Scotland led by four.

A fortnight ago in Llanelli, they entered the last 10 minutes with a small advantage and managed the game wonderfully from there. Now they had to do the same against a team that presented them with far more problems than Wales could muster.

They saw him and in the process added to his leadership. Another maul at the lineout had an impact. It is proving to be a great weapon for the Scots. Turner, as part of an excellent cameo, was at the end of the wave. Weir overcame the conversion and Scotland won their victory.

They had to fight for it, but now it’s five wins in a row. Progress continues. For Italy, it improves, but that victory is still difficult to achieve.

The Scots host France next. A sixth win and things will get positively dizzying.