Six Nations: Scotland must be wary of more expansive Italy

Italy's new coach Franco Smith is showing more ambition. Picture: Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images

Ever since their memorable arrival in the oldest international championship 20 years ago, as the boot of Diego Dominguez embarrassed the last Five Nations winners, the Scots are the top-tier nation the Italians have had by far the most success against and always circle the fixture in red ink.

The Azzurri’s first Test win over the Scots actually came two years before joining the Six Nations – a 1998 shock victory in Treviso which featured under-pressure coach Gregor Townsend in the visiting team.

Ever since then they have notched a further seven wins over the Scots, the last being the late-snatched win at Murrayfield five years ago which sent Townsend’s predecessor Vern Cotter’s first Six Nations spiralling to a whitewash.

New Italy interim coach Franco Smith, who replaces Conor O’Shea, is trying to develop a new more  expansive brand of rugby from the old stereotype of a pack and srum-dominated unit.

He says he has put his faith in Italy’s core unit as the Azzurri seek to finally end that losing streak.

Smith saw progress after naming the same starting line-up that was crushed 42-0 by Wales in this year’s opener for their second-round fixture against favourites France.

Italy even managed three tries as they pushed Les Bleus before eventually going down 35-22.

Now Smith has again gone with the same starting XV and hopes the growing bond being developed between his players will be enough to seal victory.

He said yesterday: “We are focused on what we want to do on the field and how to use the next three games of the tournament to build our group.

“Each game is a chance to increase our skills. We have been working together for a month to build our identity, our DNA. It is the most important aspect we are focused on.

“We think about us and what we have to do.

“The decision to confirm the line-up that played in Cardiff and Paris is aimed at building a solid base of players aware of our game, of what we want to do.

“It’s important to me to have a core of players who know exactly what we want and who can act as reference points on the pitch.

“In this first month we have added and modified many aspects, the choice to confirm the starting team is to give a clear indication of the path we have chosen and the group to  follow it.

“We’ve prepared for the game physically and mentally, in particular for the second phase of the match.

“We are proud and we want to win and we will have to do the right things to do it.

“Physicality is an aspect of the game of Italy that we are trying to develop more and more, it is one of the key aspects of our DNA.”

For Townsend it is his side’s chance to end what has been a trying past year with a fifth-place finish in last year’s championship followed by a pool-stage World Cup exit and then the Finn Russell saga.

Townsend still hasn’t summoned chief playmaker Russell, who quit the squad before the championship for breaching team protocol. After the England loss he watched from Paris nearly two weeks ago, Russell claimed he has no relationship with Townsend, who also used to be his club coach.

Townsend hit back by saying Russell would be welcomed back in the squad when he committed to being a team player. Townsend says they haven’t talked since the  outbursts.

In the meantime, he’s dropped centre Huw Jones for Chris Harris, pictured, in this one, and decided to start former captain Stuart McInally at hooker for Fraser Brown.

For all the Scots will want to be on the front foot, the inclusion of Harris suggests just how wary Townsend is of an explosive display from the fired-up home fans in front of  nearly 60,000.

The Scottish scrum remains in for a severe test, though, and there could be a first home appearance for Zebre loosehead prop Danilo Fischetti from the bench.

“Ever since I was a child I dreamt about playing with the Italy shirt in Rome, cheered on by my family and by my friends,” Fischetti said.

“When I was in the academy and I was pitchside at the Olimpico to support the Italy players... that was already a huge deal for me as I watched those Azzurri players with admiration, dreaming of one day being able to be on that field.”

Italy scrum-half Guglielmo Palazzani said: “We want to redeem ourselves on Saturday at home to Scotland, hunting down a win that we haven’t got in the Six Nations for a long time.

“We know that the home teams in this tournament are favourites thanks to the help of the fans. So we hope that on Saturday there will be a lot of people cheering us on, and with their help and with hard work, we hope we can get a good win.”