15. Stuart Hogg: 7.5
Scotland’s leading light was overshadowed a little by some great performances elsewhere in the backs. Having said that, Hogg was a constant threat and his defensive positioning is what puts him in the conversation for one of the best full-backs in world rugby. Not a marquee performance but still impressive.
14. Sean Lamont: 9
Wound the clock back. Looked fresh and alert, showing good composure and balance to latch onto Finn Russell’s crossfield kick for the first of his two tries. The second was a masterclass in international wing play, coming in off his wing to stifle an Italian move in midfield, before returning wide and reading a pass perfectly to intercept and run in unimpeded. The worry with Lamont is that he is unable to consistently reproduce this level of performance. However, if he can travel to the Rugby World Cup in this sort of form, he could revitalise the Scottish outside backs.
13. Mark Bennett: 8
An exciting, hard-nosed performance from Bennett. Burst onto the ball and subsequently created holes in an already porous Italian backline. Especially heartening to see the chemistry between himself and Peter Horne, something which Scotland have lacked in previous centre combinations. Rewarded with a breakaway try that required real finishing ability.
12. Peter Horne: 7
Horne has been one of Scotland’s standout players throughout this summer series, and provides a second playmaker outside the 10. Wasn’t able to show his ability quite as much as in previous weeks, but his calm head allowed the rest of the backline to flourish. Hopefully, the knock he picked up is not serious enough to keep him out for any considerable length of time.
11. Tim Visser: 7
Two tries make this performance positive on the whole, although a couple of moments kept his rating from being much higher. Despite his solid defensive play on the whole, his in-goal flap at a bouncing ball allowed Italy to score a very soft try, and he then struggled to keep hold of a pass with the try-line in reach. Although neither were disastrous errors, they highlighted that his mental game still lags behind his physical aptitude. Fluid running and two scores will have the Dutch-born Scot feeling satisfied on the whole.
10. Finn Russell: 8.5
Russell fits the mould of the fly-half Scotland have been longing for. His offensive creativity improves the play of everyone around him, and is summed up well by his sublimely weighted chip into Sean Lamont’s arms for the first try. His underrated skill though is his defence, where he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into physical mismatches. Admittedly, Italy handed Scotland a great many of their opportunities with some poor handling, but Russell’s orchestration of the Scotland three-quarters was very pleasing.
9. Greig Laidlaw: 7.5
The skipper played with a cool demeanour that set the tone for the rest of the team’s performance. Kicked well to give Scotland an early lead, and his awareness of when to use his forwards and when to distribute to the backs was too much for Italy. In one of Scotland’s strongest positions, Laidlaw looked every inch the leader.
1. Alasdair Dickinson: 7.5
Scotland’s front row had the measure of the Italy pack early on in the game, and Dickinson was a key reason. Largely neutralised the veteran scrummaging nous of Castrogiovanni, and won penalties for his side. He will be pleased to have this match fresh in Vern Cotter’s mind as he names his World Cup squad.
2. Ross Ford: 6.5
Not much more than solid from the hooker. The lineout functioned well, especially his connection with Jonny Gray, and he deserves some credit for the strength of the Scottish scrum. However, Ford just seems to fall short of what you feel he is capable of and that makes this performance a touch disappointing.
3. Willem Nel: 7
Nel is an intriguing prospect for the Scottish coaching staff. After making his debut off the bench last week, the tighthead was responsible for a fair share of the penalties won by the Scotland pack, especially at the scrum. He made sure that his opposite number Matias Aguero had a first half to forget, and at the age of 29, doesn’t show any of the mental errors that come with younger front-row players.
4. Grant Gilchrist: 7
A key component in a polished Scottish lineout, Gilchrist recovered from last week’s illness to put in a satisfying shift. Partnered Jonny Gray well, complementing the latter’s active, disruptive style. Seems to hit every single ruck.
5. Jonny Gray: 7
A prime example of the new breed of rangy, athletic international locks. Reliable target in the lineout and is a formidable defensive presence for opponents to try to break down. An engine room of both Gray brothers could be something that defines Scotland’s pack in future years.
6. Ryan Wilson: 6.5
Arguably the quietest performance of the Scottish pack, Wilson carried well and tried to stamp his presence on the game at the breakdown. His workrate seemed to lag behind that of his teammates at times, although that may have come as a result of the excellent performance of Barclay and Denton.
7. John Barclay: 8
Excellent outing from the openside. Across the board, he will have caught Cotter’s eye, be that his tireless defence, his athleticism with the ball in hand or with the crucial work in the impressive Scottish rolling maul that ultimately rewarded him with a try. Italy’s error count was catastrophic and part of the credit for that has to be handed to Barclay.
8. David Denton: 8.5
You don’t need to be a Scotland fan to enjoy Dave Denton’s style of rugby. He throws his considerable frame around the field with abandon and never hesitates before chopping an opposing player down or lowering his blond mop and blasting through them with the ball. His enthusiasm is infectious, and you can see the effect he has on the rest of the Scotland pack. Even with nothing else to prove to the head coach, the Zimbabwe-born No. 8 delivered a confident and abrasive performance.
Replacements: 6
There wasn’t a huge impact from the bench players for Scotland. Arguably the pick of the bunch was Matt Scott who is still fighting for a centre berth in Cotter’s final 31-man squad. He ran hard when he replaced Peter Horne, but there was a drop in the tempo and energy of Scotland’s back play with him on the field.
Elsewhere, Blair Cowan failed to make his typical impact on the breakdown, Jon Welsh picked up where Willem Nel had left off at the scrum, and Ruaridh Jackson stuttered a little at full-back.
By Fraser Kay (@fraserkay)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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