A Huw Jones hat-trick inspired Scotland to a nervy 31-19 victory over Italy in their opening Six Nations match at Murrayfield.
Gregor Townsend’s side raced into a 14-0 advantage in the first 10 minutes and led 19-6 at the break through scores from Rory Darge, Jones and Ben White.
But Italy, who fought back from 22-10 down to defeat the Scots 31-29 in Rome last March, once again produced a spirited fightback, with the boot of Tommaso Allan and a breakaway try from Juan Ignacio Brex levelling things up at 19-19 heading into the final quarter.
However, the Scots held their nerve to claim an important bonus point victory as two further tries from Jones took the game away from the Azzurri just as they were starting to scent a first win at Murrayfield for 10 years.
Here is how the Scotland players rated out of 10 for their performance...

1. Pierre Schoeman
Typically energetic performance from the prop who made 15 carries before making way for Rory Sutherland on the 51-minute mark. 7 | SNS Group / SRU

2. Dave Cherry
A winning return for the Edinburgh hooker who hadn’t played for Scotland since the opening game of the 2023 World Cup. Recalled for his set-piece nous and didn’t disappoint. Also produced a deft one-handed offload to assist Ben White for his try. 8 | SNS Group / SRU

3. Zander Fagerson
Anchored the Scotland scrum and brought his usual solidity. Also made 16 carries during his 68 minutes on the field. Replaced by Leicester’s Will Hurd after Scotland had moved clear at 31-19 following the early second-half scare. 7 | SNS Group / SRU

4. Jonny Gray
Playing his first game since mid-December but stepped up to the Test-match pace. Another who was ending a long international exile, this was Gray’s first Scotland game since the 2023 Six Nations following a long injury lay-off. A welcome return for the experienced lock. 6 | SNS Group / SRU