Scotland U19 were handed a tough lesson in Melrose as they went down 52-22 to a sharp and disciplined Italian outfit in the first of their two April fixtures.
In front of a crowd of 888 at The Greenyards, Fergus Pringle’s side showed promise early on but were eventually overpowered by an Italy team who punished Scottish errors and took their chances with ruthless efficiency.
Scotland made a confident start under the spring sunshine, dictating play in the opening exchanges. Co-captain Ross Wolfenden pulled the strings nicely at fly-half, and it was his fellow skipper Ben White who opened the scoring on 11 minutes—crashing over from close range following sustained pressure. Wolfenden nailed the tricky conversion to make it 7-0.
Italy quickly hit back. Prop Gioele Boccato levelled the scores with a powerful finish of his own, converted by Riccardo Favaretto. Wolfenden then restored Scotland’s lead with a penalty, but Italy began to turn the screw as the first half progressed.
A slick backs move saw Tommaso Roda dot down Italy’s second try, before a yellow card to Inza Dene briefly put the visitors on the back foot. However, even with a man down, Italy extended their lead—Antony Italo Miranda finishing off a smart counter-attack to make it 21-10 at the break.
Half-time: Scotland U19 10–21 Italy U19
The second half saw Italy shift up another gear. Boccato grabbed his second try just minutes after the restart, and moments later Christian Dotto pounced on an intercept and sprinted in to widen the gap to 33-10.
Scotland were under heavy pressure and couldn’t stop Italy’s momentum. Luca Rossi added a fifth Italian try, again converted by Favaretto, pushing the score to 40-10.
The hosts did show flashes of attacking threat. Full-back Harry Provan provided a bright moment, powering past a defender and racing in from the 22 for a well-taken score. Wolfenden added the extras to make it 40-17.
Italy weren’t done yet, though. Matteo Silei capitalised on another intercept to cross in the corner, before Scotland responded late through Jamie Thomson, who scored out wide. Italy had the final word, as Christian Brasini crossed in the final minute to cap a commanding 52-22 win.
Full-time: Scotland U19 22–52 Italy U19
Scotland now turn their attention to their second and final fixture of the month against England, set for Saturday 26 April at Percy Park RFC in North Shields (2pm kick-off).
Head Coach Fergus Pringle offered a frank assessment post-match:
“We’re disappointed with the scoreline. We started the match well with a number of entries into their 22 but we weren’t clinical enough. On the flip side, when they entered our 22 they took their chances.”
He continued:
“At the start of the second half we gave them soft penalties which allowed them to gain momentum. If we can become more disciplined then the scoreline is a lot closer.”
“It was a good exercise overall. There are players there that did well and will take a lot of learnings. This will help the guys in their development.”
“Having a match like this allowed guys who didn’t play a lot in the Six Nations the opportunity for game time as well as giving the younger players international exposure as they look to break into the Scotland U20 squad.”
