Scotland v Italy M6N Recap
- therookiereporters
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Scotland v Italy was our second match of the 2026 M6N, here’s everything you missed from this amazing match!
First Half
Italy kicked off the game at 2:10 GMT; Scotland kept possession and made a strong kick for the first line out before they snatched the ball, making advances to Italy’s half. A dink through Scotland's line allowed Lynagh to take the first try, but a missed conversion only took them 5 points ahead. Scotland reset and got advantage due to Italy collapsing a scrum but Italy managed to steal another of Scotland’s line outs to get themselves into Scotland’s half. This resulted in Menoncello scoring the second try 13 minutes in. Garbisi scored his conversion taking the score to 12-0.
At the next play, Scotland caused a knock on, collapsing a scrum, but then received an offside penalty advantage giving them a line out 5m from the try line. This chance to score was exploited, after many phases, with Dempsey scoring Scotland’s first try in the M6N. Finn Russell clinched another 2 points for his country, making it 12-7.
We then had a kicking game, causing Italy to make a break into Scotland’s half. An obstruction from Scotland gave Italy a line out, 15m from the try line. Then play broke down and Garbisi took a chance with a kick and the greasy ball swerved to the left but, luckily for them, they went back for the crossover penalty and Garbisi took the 3 points to make it 15-7, 35 minutes in. Garbisi then took his chances again with a drop, but this time missed the other side of the goal. Both nations were at the mercy of the rain, which caused many spills and quick turnovers. As the clock went red, Garbisi called the halftime, kicking the ball out of play.
Second Half
The rain subsided over the halftime break, going from a dramatic downpour to a light drizzle. However, this ultimately gave both teams a false sense of security, as the heavens opened again over the Stadio Olimpico. Scotland were determined to make a comeback and started their second half on the front foot, having 13 phases and piling the pressure on Italy and their ability to defend their try line. Scotland managed to take 3 points from a penalty due to an offside being awarded, but Italy weren't going to step back and let the Scottish run rings round them, as a high tackle by Scotland resulted in a penalty, which Garbisi took and added to their score board.
We had our first HIA of the tournament for Scotland’s Dobie, who was substituted with Graham. We had TMO make an appearance for a high tackle review from Scotland’s Turner, as the replays showed shoulder-head contact. This foul was awarded a yellow card to Turner and even sent to the Bunker to be reviewed, but luckily remained only as a yellow, therefore making just 10 minutes with a man down. Italy were now the ones with the advantage, but the tricky conditions were their weakness as they kept giving Scotland possession. An unlucky offside from Italy meant Scotland got a line out, which acted as a turning point as Horne scored a try, slowly closing the points gap to just 3. Scotland’s efforts came too late, though, as they had over 30 phases in the last minutes of play, as Italy held up the ball to finish the match and take the win 18-15.
Article written by Alice Seager ©️Alice Seager 2026
