Italy survive Scottish fightback

MATCH REPORT: Italy got their first win of the Women’s Six Nations with a 25-17 victory over Scotland, helped by an Aura Muzzo brace.

The home side were the first to break the deadlock after a bruising start to the action-packed encounter at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.

After weathering early pressure, it had been Chloe Rollie who had lit up the contest – the fullback breaking through four would-be tacklers to crash over in the 12th minute for her 26th Test try. Captain Helen Nelson made no mistake from the tee to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.

Italy had responded ten minutes later, turning a spell of sustained defensive grit into points at the other end. From a well-worked lineout, flanker Francesca Sgorbini had pounced from the base of a ruck to barrel over for her second try of the Championship. Michela Sillari had been off target with the conversion, but the visitors had been well and truly in the contest at 7-5.

And it had got even better for the Azzurri. Crisp handling had stretched the Scottish defence before Sillari’s clever dummy had opened up space to release Aura Muzzo, who had raced clear to finish brilliantly in the corner. Sillari’s strike had been accurate, but time had expired on the shot clock – so the score had remained 7-10.

Italy took a narrow three-point lead into the break after a tense and scrappy first half at Hive Stadium. Both sides showed flashes of quality, but frequent handling errors disrupted the rhythm as the contest remained finely poised at the halfway mark.

Scotland had struck early after the restart with a moment of set-piece brilliance. A slick lineout move had seen Rachel McLachlan gather the ball low before turning to feed Evie Gallagher, who had charged through the heart of the Italian pack to score untouched. Nelson couldn’t add the extras, but the hosts had reclaimed the lead.

With momentum shifting between the two sides, it was Italy who regained control of the scoreboard. A misjudged clearance from Scotland fell perfectly for Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi, who weaved her way past defenders before passing to Aura Muzzo, who found herself with plenty of space. Muzzo was stopped just short of the try line but offloaded the ball back to Ostuni Minuzzi, who finished off a brilliant coast-to-coast move for Italy’s third try of the match.

Things worsened for Scotland as Lisa Thomson received a yellow card for a high tackle during the play, leaving the hosts to defend with one player less.

Italy secured their bonus point in the 65th minute, making full use of their numerical advantage. The Azzurre piled on the pressure, and eventually, it told – Beatrice Rigoni spotted space and flung a pinpoint pass out wide to Alyssa D’Inca, who finished with ease in the corner. Rigoni couldn’t add the extras, but the visitors extended their lead to eight with time ticking away.

But Scotland wasn’t about to lie down. Roared on by the home crowd, they went straight back on the offensive. A dominant scrum in midfield laid the platform, and a series of powerful carries from the forwards punched holes in the Italian line. Then came the spark, Francesca McGhie, swho tepped and weaved her way through the defence to finish superbly. With five minutes to play, Scotland were right back in it at 17-20.

Italy sealed the deal in the 78th minute with a moment of sharp thinking and clinical execution. Once again, it was Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi at the heart of it — spotting space down the short side, she fired a quick pass to Aura Muzzo, who sprinted over for her second try of the match. It was a killer blow, one that confirmed a famous Italian victory in Edinburgh.

Scorers:

For Italy:
Tries: Sgorbini, Muzzo 2, Minuzzi, D’Inca

For Scotland:
Tries: Rollie, Gallagher, McGhie
Cons: Nelson

Teams:

Scotland: 15 Chloe Rollie, 14 Rhona Lloyd, 13 Emma Orr, 12 Lisa Thomson, 11 Francesca McGhie, 10 Helen Nelson, 9 Leia Brebner-Holden, 8 Evie Gallagher, 7 Rachel McLachlan, 6 Rachel Malcolm (captain), 5 Sarah Bonar, 4 Becky Boyd, 3 Elliann Clarke, 2 Lana Skeldon, 1 Anne Young.
Replacements: 16 Elis Martin, 17 Leah Bartlett, 18 Molly Poolman, 19 Adelle Ferrie, 20 Alex Stewart , 21 Jade Konkel, 22 Caity Mattinson, 23 Lucia Scott.

Italy: 15 Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi, 14 Aura Muzzo, 13. Michela Sillari, 12 Beatrice Rigoni, 11 Alyssa D’inca, 10 Emma Stevanin, 9 Sofia Stefan, 8 Elisa Giordano (captain), 7 Beatrice Veronese, 6 Francesca Sgorbini, 5 Giordana Duca, 4 Sara Tounesi, 3 Sara Seye, 2 Vittoria Vecchin, 1 Silvia Turani.
Replacements: 16 Desiree Spinelli, 17 Emanuela Stecca, 18 Gaia Maris, 19 Valeria Fedrighi, 20 Alissa Ranuccini, 21 Alia Bitonci, 22 Veronica Madia, 23 Sara Mannini.

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Maria Latos (Germany), Zoe Naude (South Africa)
TMO: Rachel Horton (Australia)

Source @sixnationsrugby