Preview: Scotland v Italy
31 Jan 2025The 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations gets underway for Scotland as they host Italy at Scottish Gas Murrayfield tomorrow (kick off 2.15pm) - live on BBC One.
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 31: Jonny Gray (L) and Zander Fagerson during a Scotland men's team run ahead of the Guinness Six Nations game against Italy at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, on January 31, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) What they said
Head Coach Gregor Townsend said: “The players know this is the biggest tournament they play in.
“(On Italy) They’re a really quality side, they’ve shown that now for two or three years. They’ve been difficult for us and for other teams, and I think they’ll come into this Six Nations full of confidence.
“Their head coach Gonzalo Quesada is someone I know well from our playing days and he has had a lot of success as a coach at club level in France and Argentina, and now with the Italian national side. His teams play with a good mix of intelligence and ambition – and present a few challenges to our defence.”
The teams
The stats
- Italy averaged the most tackles per game of any men’s Tier 1 side in 2024 (164), while Scotland had the best tackle success rate (90%) of any such side last year.
- Scotland had the best goal-kicking success rate (96%) in the 2024 Six Nations. Finn Russell scored 55 of a possible 57 points from the boot.
- Duhan van der Merwe was the joint-top try scorer in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations (5, also Dan Sheehan) and finished the year as the outright top try scorer for any men’s Tier 1 nation (9) in addition to ranking first for defenders beaten (48); the Scotland winger has scored four tries across his previous four Six Nations games against Italy.
The matchday info
