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Italy v Scotland: Scotland player ratings

Sean Maitland made the out of the few opportunities he had.

Sean Maitland made the out of the few opportunities he had. Image: FOTOSPORT/DANIELE RESINI

15. Stuart Hogg – 8

A big game from a big player. Superb try when his team really needed it – and no problem with the grounding. A threat every time he touched the ball. Solid and composed in defence. A powerful riposte to the sofa-bound hashtag harriers.

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14. Sean Maitland – 6

Not a lot went his way  but tried hard to get into the game, whether on the kick-chase or popping up in the middle of the park. Strong in the air both in attack and defence.

13. Chris Harris – 7

Exactly what it said on the label. Tackled hard and defended his (clearly targeted) channel with hard-nosed determination. Took his try well.

12. Sam Johnson – 6

Constrained by dearth of decent quick ball  but ran some great support lines. Solid in defence and not afraid to mix it at the break-down. Pace still a concern –  though he camouflages it well.

11. Blair Kinghorn – 6

Limited rations but worked hard to get into the game, particularly in deep defence. Missed a tackle on Mattia Bellini early on which could have been costly but otherwise did whatever was needed – and did it well.


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10. Adam Hastings – 5

A lacklustre opening ten minutes  then struggled all game to get his forwards on the front foot and to get his backs moving. Needs to attack the ball more. Goal kicking was not great and his kicking from hand was not much better. A difficult afternoon but to his credit he did not go missing – and six weeks from now it will be his try that is remembered, not his preceding 78 minutes.

9. Ali Price – 6

Lack of variety  and no improvement in his box kick, though in fairness his options were limited by the referees poor management of Italian offside at the break-down.

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1. Rory Sutherland – 8

Another step towards the Lions. Destroyed his opposite number (Zilocchi) within 30 minutes and then had his replacement (Riccioni) on toast. Put himself about the field to good effect, though there were maybe signs of fatigue before he was taken off around the hour mark.

2. Stuart McInally – 7

Great first throw over the top to Sam Johnson set the tone for an excellent afternoon ‘with the darts’. Very lively about the park and cajoling his pack. Looks like confidence restored.

3. Zander Fagerson – 7

Another big shift. Scrummed well, though referee did him no favours. An honest soldier, and gets himself around the park.

4. Scott Cummings – 7

Called the line-outs very well , though without the meteorological problems Jonny Gray had against England. A couple of needles penalties and a couple of great tackles, with the balance overall very much in credit. The coming man.

5. Ben Toolis – 7

Does not have the stupendous tackle count of Jonny Gray but maybe more aggressive ball in hand, and had one outstanding defensive covering play in the first half which saved what looked a certain try. Caught the eye at the line-out with some crisp distribution and a couple of excellent steals.

6. Jamie Ritchie – 8

Working in tandem with Hamish Watson, totally dominated the breakdown – a domination which effectively won the game.  Aggressive, tremendous work rate – and a brilliant clearance kick thrown in for good measure!

7. Hamish Watson – 9

Thoroughly deserved his man-of-the-match gong. He was into everything. Dynamic tackles, choke tackles, smother tackles, turnover after turnover, big carries, stunning off-loads – you name it – he did it. World class.

8. Magnus Bradbury – 7

Maybe a bit loose at times  but complemented his back row colleagues effectively and did much good work particularly in the wider channels.

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Replacements

16. Fraser Brown – 6

Came on at the hour mark and did much to assuage his Calcutta Cup woes. One bad overthrow but generally steady – and, as always, enthusiastic.

17. Allan Dell – 6

Came on with 25 minutes to go and more than held his own – but he is not Rory Sutherland.

18. WP Nel – 6

Though perhaps not a forceful as he once was, he still brings a degree of gravitas off the bench into the scrum just when it is needed.

19. Grant Gilchrist – 6

Got on for quarter of an hour, which was long enough to suggest that he has been most unfortunate not to have featured more prominently in the squad this season. His steal that set up Adam Hastings try was a case in point.

20. Matt Fagerson – 6

Slotted in seamlessly and brought a fresh hard aggressive edge into the game for the final twenty five minutes

21. George Horne – 6

Replaced Ali Price around the hour mark and immediately started asking questions that his predecessor should have been asking earlier – plus stuck in a couple of very good box kicks.

22. Rory Hutchinson – 6

On for the last twenty minutes, looked entirely comfortable and keen to have a go.

23. Byron McGuigan – 6

Looked eager as soon as he got on with fifteen minutes to go and ran hard at every opportunity.


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