The sun shone down on Hive Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Scotland hosted Italy in the third round of the Women’s Six Nations campaign.
Scotland were awarded the first penalty of the game thanks to a jackal from Evie Gallagher just outside their own 22. Helen Nelson cleared it to touch to gain territory. A scrum was awarded to Scotland in the 8th minute following an Italian knock-on, but the home side struggled to break through the solid Italian defence. Another penalty for offside allowed Scotland to push into Italian territory, just outside the 22.
Building momentum, Scotland edged closer to the line. Leia Brebner-Holden took the ball from the back of a maul before linking up with Nelson, who offloaded to full-back Chloe Rollie. In the 13th minute, Rollie crossed the whitewash to score the opening try of the match. Nelson added the extras to put Scotland ahead.
Scotland 7-0 Italy
Italy began to fight back by the 17th minute, inching closer to the try line before Scotland turned it over. Shortly after, Brebner-Holden was replaced by Caity Mattinson for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA).
Scotland were awarded another penalty following an attacking lineout just outside the Italian 22 and opted to kick to the corner again. However, a handling error from Emma Orr handed Italy possession, and they cleared their lines. Moments later, Scotland had a kick charged down and conceded a penalty at the ruck deep in their own half. Italy kicked to the corner, formed a strong maul, and powered towards the 5-metre line before Francesca Sgorbini forced her way over.
25’ Try – Francesca Sgorbini (ITA). Conversion missed.
Scotland 7-5 Italy
Just four minutes later, a knock-on by Sarah Bonar gave Italy another opportunity from a scrum. Quick hands and slick passing saw the Italians storm down the wing and slice through the Scottish defence to score again. However, Michela Sillari’s conversion attempt was disallowed for taking too long.
29’ Try – Italy. Conversion missed.
Scotland 7-10 Italy
It was confirmed that Brebner-Holden had failed her HIA and would not return. Italy began to assert dominance, breaking tackles and applying pressure. But Scotland responded with resilience. Rhona Lloyd made a sensational break down the wing, nearly breaching the Italian defence before being clipped and brought
down.
As half-time approached, Scotland decided against an attempt at goal, following a penalty. They kicked to the corner and executed a clean lineout but couldn’t find a way through the Italian defence, eventually knocking on as the visitors cleared.
Half-Time: Scotland 7-10 Italy
The half-time debrief seemed to spark a fire in the Scots as they returned with renewed energy and intent. In the 45th minute, Fran McGhie broke into the 22 following a scrum. Nelson kicked to the corner, and the resulting lineout worked perfectly — a false jumper distracted the Italians before a low pass to Gallagher saw her dive over for Scotland’s second try. Nelson’s conversion drifted wide.
45’ Try – Evie Gallagher (SCO). Conversion missed.
Scotland 12-10 Italy
Italy responded with a penalty, kicking to the corner and driving to the 5-metre line. Beatrice Rigoni threatened to score but spilled the ball forward, allowing Scotland to regain possession.
Scotland made a few changes: Anne Young and Lana Skeldon were replaced by Leah Bartlett and Elis Martin respectively.
Italy regained momentum in the 54th minute. Despite another Scottish turnover, a series of offloads between Vittoria Minuzzi and Aura Muzzo ended with Minuzzi dotting down in the corner. The conversion was again missed.
54’ Try – Vittoria Minuzzi (ITA). Conversion missed.
Scotland 12-15 Italy
Shortly after the restart, Lisa Thomson was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, leaving Scotland a player down during a crucial phase.
Italy kept up the pressure, but Scotland’s defence stood strong. Gallagher and Elliann Clarke were replaced by Jade Konkel and Molly Poolman. Thomson returned to the field after serving her sin bin.
In the 67th minute, another lineout drive by Italy created space out wide. The ball was spun quickly to the wing, where Alyssa D’Inca crossed the line for Italy’s fourth try. Another conversion went astray.
67’ Try – Alyssa D’Inca (ITA). Conversion missed.
Scotland 12-20 Italy
Rachel McLachlan made way for Alex Stewart as Scotland pushed for a response. In the 69th minute, a Scottish scrum directly in front of the posts presented a golden opportunity. After an Italian knock-on, Scotland won another scrum. The ball was shifted along the line before landing with Fran McGhie, who powered over for her second try of the championship.
Nelson’s conversion attempt was again unsuccessful.
73’ Try – Fran McGhie (SCO). Conversion missed.
Scotland 17-20 Italy
Captain Rachel Malcolm was then substituted for Adelle Ferrie as the game entered its final minutes. With time running out, Italy added a final blow. From a scrum, they moved the ball wide to the left wing where Aura Muzzo dotted down for Italy’s fifth try of the day.
78’ Try – Aura Muzzo (ITA). Conversion missed.
Scotland 17-25 Italy
The full-time whistle sounded shortly after, confirming a hard-fought Italian victory. Aura Muzzo was named Player of the Match after a commanding performance on the wing.
Full-Time: Scotland 17-25 Italy
Coach Brian Easson spoke on the loss saying: “Disappointment and frustration – I think that would be the key thing. It’s not a performance that we saw coming. Preparation has been good, and we had real clarity around how we wanted to play. It’s not the standard that we set for ourselves. “We didn’t put their defence under pressure. We played in front of them rather than going through them. That was probably the most frustrating thing.”
Captain Rachel Malcolm said: “I just don’t think we were good enough today, in every facet of the game. Every team – even the best team in the world – has their off days. And unfortunately, this was ours.
“For whatever reason, defensively we maybe didn’t have the same want that we’ve prided ourselves on. It’s definitely a little bit of a kick in the teeth. This one hurts, because I just don’t think we performed well.
“Don’t get me wrong, Italy played very well, so full credit to them. But I don’t think we did the shirt proud today, and that hurts.”
Player of the match: Aura Muzzo
Attendance: 5029
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)
Assistant Referee 1: Maria Latos (GER)
Assistant Referee 2: Zoe Naude (SARU)
TMO: Rachel Horton (RA)
FPRO: Dan Jones (RFU)
