Great work to get ourselves 60 metres up the pitch from kick off, but it’s in vain as Skinner knocks on.
Congratulations to Italy, a well earned win in Rome.
The match centre will be back for our championship conclusion in Dublin against Ireland next week.
Deliberate knock on.
We kick into the left corner.
Sam Skinner under the posts!
Finn converts. 31-29. Two to go.
Elliot Millar-Mills on for Zander.
A wild spell of play, as we get to within five metres through Steyn and Ritchie, but a dropped ball and Italy come up.
We try to return, and win a penalty around 45m out.
But we’re looking at a potential deliberate knock on by Italy…
Now Skinner is offside.
Italy go for goal from the right.
Italy two scores to the good.
Duhan breaks down the left, into the 22.
But suddenly it’s not going anywhere and the ball is lost, and then we’re offside to boot.
Italy exit to just outside our 10.
Gilchrist and Darge off for Sam Skinner and Matt Fagerson.
The lineout not straight. We’ll have the scrum on our own 10.
Italy win another scrum penalty.
They’ll have the lineout on our 10.
We move to the right from the scrum, but Kinghorn drops it in the tackle.
Italy scrum inside their half.
Kicks from either side to the sky. Then there’s a knock on from Italy.
Our scrum on halfway, on the left side.
Vintcent breaks down the left and cuts inside. He’s dragged down three metres short. Italy miss a chance on their right wing, before coming left again. Varney snipes and goes over on the left.
Garbisi converts. 28-22.
Schoeman, Turner, Christie and Horne all off. Alec Hepburn, Ewan Ashman, Matt Fagerson and Ali Price on.
Varney catches the kickoff and clears out on halfway.
Kinghorn exits after the scrum, and Capuozzo returns but Finn catches and calls the mark in his 22.
Schoeman penalised at the scrum. Italy kick down to just outside our 22.
Italy win their lineout and work it left, but there’s a spill at the bottom of a ruck and we’ll get the scrum on our right side in our 22.
The ball goes end to end via the boot, and Scotland get it back on halfway. But the ball is dropped several times, all backwards before Darge spills it forwards.
Italy scrum about 41 metres from their line, on their right side.
Cummings penalised at the lineout. Italy exit to halfway better our 10 and 22.
We steal the lineout, then Duhan breaks down the left. Capuozzo and Lynagh get him out just outside Italy’s 22.
Scotland concede the penalty seconds after kicking off. Italy exit to halfway.
Garbisi kicks through, and it’s gathered by the debutant Lynagh to score.
Garbisi hits the post. 21-22.
Yes, it’s a penalty for Italy.
The ball doesn’t find touch, but Italy soon have it back and are attacking in our half.
Finn restarts this one.
COME ON SCOTLAND!!!
The ball stayed in play for over two minutes from kick off, and George Horne crosses the line.
Jones made the break, and offloaded inside to Horne. But did Schoeman obstruct a defender?
Finn drops the ball, and Garbisi decides it’s time for some oranges.
We lead by six at the break.
Phase by phase, Italy get closer, but Rory Darge wins the jackal penalty deep in our 22.
We’ll keep going as Finn kicks to Italy’s 10.
Lynagh latches on to a loose ball and hacks ahead. Capuozzo gathers, but Duhan wraps him up and carries him over our line.
Goal-line dropout with 10 seconds left in the half.
No mistake from the scrum-half.
Italy go for the posts. Page-Relo will take it.
A loose ball, and Christie picks it up and charges down the middle! He’s eventually pulled down in the 22, and Negri wins the penalty as Christie holds on.
The kick doesn’t find touch, but then Horne is penalised for going off his feet at the next ruck. Italy penalty around 45m out.
13-22.
Christie gets trapped in a ruck after his tackle and can’t roll. It’s a penalty.
Garbisi will go for goal from around 35m out.
Down the left side from Italy, and Brex dinks it over Kinghorn and into the corner. Our lineout 7m out.
Cummings pulls the ball out of the sky, and Finn then clears up to just inside our 10m line. Italy’s lineout their on our right wing.
The driving maul gets there!
Italy do their best to halt it, but Turner feeds it back to Pierre Schoeman who trundles over.
Finn’s first miss of the tournament from the tee. 10-22.
We clear from kick off. Italy lineout on our 10, on our left wing.
Simple!
Intercept from Christie on halfway, then it’s thrown to the left where Russell is under pressure.
He lofts it over Lynagh down the left wing, one bounce and into touch. Scotland throw in from 15 metres out.
The box kick from Horne finds touch. Italy throw in from halfway.
A tackle off the ball from Fischetti, and we’ve got a penalty in front of the posts 10 metres out.
Finn will go for goal.
Italy clear and Dempsey runs straight. He’s tackled but there’s no roll from the tackler, and we get the penalty.
We now have a lineout inside Italy’s 22 on the left.
A kick a piece, and then as Italy counter-ruck from Kinghorn’s carry they knock it on.
Scotland scrum on our own 10, out by the left flank.
Garbisi kicks to the sky, and Redpath returns it with a grubber.
Garbisi then kicks it out on our 10, so we’ll throw in from there.
From the scrum, Duhan races out to the right and offloads to Kinghorn, who gets through.
Then Russell kicks back to the left for Christie, but it goes out.
Italy lineout just outside their 22.
Scotland kick clear and then look to have won the ball back in the ruck, but George Turner is penalised for going off his feet in the ruck.
Italy are into our 22, with the lineout on their left.
Page-Relo chips over the top and Brex dives over the line as he gathers.
Garbisi converts from under the sticks. 10-14.
Steyn breaks down the right, then Jones is nearly to the line on the right, but knocks on.
Italy clear, but we go quick from the lineout…
We exit to our 10 from kick off, and Italy go from there via the lineout.
A second try!
Duhan van der Merwe breaks the line on the left, and he nearly wrestles his way to the line.
We then fire it out to the right where Kyle Steyn makes it over for his 11th Scotland try.
Finn converts. 3-14.
Monty Ioane carries into contact, and Zander is in over the ball. Jackal penalty.
We kick into Italy’s half and throw in from our right.
What a phase of play!
A dropped ball on midfield, Italy try to kick it forward and Jones blocks it. It falls to Redpath, and between Kinghorn and Russell we break up the right.
Then out all the way to the left through the forwards, and eventually Zander Fagerson is the one to get over the line.
Finn converts. 3-7.
The ball falls off the tee, but Garbisi recovers and knocks it over.
3-0.
Italy kick to the sky and knock it on when it comes down.
Scotland scrum, just outside Italy’s 10m line on the left side.
Andy Christie catches the kick off, is tackled by Lamaro and Menoncello makes the jackal. Penalty Italy.
Garbisi will kick at goal.
COME ON SCOTLAND!!!!
Vocal chords warmed up.
Garbisi will soon get our round four encounter going.
A fantastic effort from the team who cycled from Murrayfield to Stadio Olimpico, via every stadium in the men’s Six Nations, with the match ball to raise funds for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Around 18,000 Scotland fans are expected in Rome today. We thank each and every one of them for their support!
The marathon journey from changing room to pitchside at Stadio Olimpico has been completed by the two teams. The sold-out stadium erupts.
Anthem time.
The sun is out, but the teams are in as they make their final preparations.
George Horne makes his first Six Nations start today, his first Scotland start in any competition since the 2019 Rugby World Cup game against Russia.
Our fixtures for next year’s tournament have just been confirmed on STV.
Click HERE to find out more.
Finn Russell is 100% from the tee so far in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Will that continue today?
The Scotland squad are out on the pitch.
Once the men’s Six Nations is over all attention will turn to the women, who have home matches against France and England in March and April at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh. Both games are set to be played in front of record crowds, but there are still some tickets available, so you can get behind Scotland!
Ahead of this afternoon’s match why not have a listen to the latest episode of our podcast, which includes a chat with Andy Christie, who makes his first start in Rome today.
The stage is set for this afternoon’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations match between Italy and Scotland in Rome.
Kick-off is now just 90 minutes away.
Whether you’re in Rothes or Rome, here’s the kick off times for today’s game.
Here is a reminder of your Scotland team to play Italy in Rome this afternoon.
Here is a look inside the Scotland changing room in the Stadio Olimpico…
Welcome to Round 4 of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Scotland play Italy in Rome today, kick-off is at 2.15pm UK time.
Join us here for live coverage.
Kick-off 2:15 pm