Full time
A deserved win for Italy U23 in the end.
Thanks for following on the match centre tonight. See you soon!
A deserved win for Italy U23 in the end.
Thanks for following on the match centre tonight. See you soon!
Italy go down the left but the long pass is knocked on. Scotland scrum on our 22 as the clock goes red.
Nearly a fifth for Italy but it’s held up by Scotland, good defence in the end.
Cleared from the goal line.
Italy get the ball back straight away after the scrum then Scotland don’t roll at the ruck.
Kicked into the right corner.
A long period of ball in play ends as Italy go offside. Sinjin Broad tries to go quickly, makes a mess of the tap and the referee then gets in the way.
Scotland will scrum down on halfway.
Italy over the ball at the ruck and Thomson holds on.
The penalty kicked into our 22.
Italy in the side, Scotland find touch just inside our half.
Kerr Yule puts his man into touch, then Scotland win the penalty as Italy stray offside after the lineout.
Kicked out just inside Italy’s half.
Scotland kick a penalty to Italy’s 22, but Italy trap the ball and get the scrum. They then win the scrum penalty to boot.
It’s kicked to halfway.
Italy try to clear but it clatters off referee Peter Martin.
Italy scrum around 30m from their line to get us restarted.
Belloni gathers a deflected kick over the line and dots down. Ferrarin misses the kick.
Emerging Scotland 7-24 Italy U23
Scotland wrap the ball up and make it unplayable. We’ll get the scrum just over five metres from our line.
The visitors back in the left corner with the lineout.
Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Cairn Ramsay, Dan Halkon, Macenzzie Duncan, Rudi Brown, Sinjin Broad, Matthew Urwin and Nairn Moncrieff all on.
Harri Morris, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Euan McVie, Rhys Tait, Tom Currie, Conor McAlpine, Cammy Scott and Kerr Johnston are off.
Scalabrin cruises over on the right. Conversion missed.
Emerging Scotland 7-19 Italy U23
Excellent kick from Ferrarin again, Italy get the lineout inside our 22 on their left.
Mikey Jones goes off and on comes Callum Smyth.
Liam McConnell nearly puts Harri Morris through but he just can’t hold on in the tackle.
Italy scrum on their 10m line.
Findlay Thomson on for Ollie Smith.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s lineout maul is driven into touch, and Italy win their throw in and clear.
Italy penalised from the restart and we go into the right corner.
Short range drive under the posts from Andreani. Ferrarin converts.
Emerging Scotland 7-14 Italy U23
Lovely kick from Ferrarin into the left corner and out for a 50:22.
Loose pass from Scotland but Italy knock the loose ball on. Our scrum just inside our 10m line.
Italy with the wind at their back now, and a huge boot finds touch just inside our 10m
COME ON SCOTLAND!
Nathan Sweeney replaces Ben Salmon.
Scott will get us back underway.
At the bottom of that pile of bodies is Ollie Blyth-Lafferty scoring our only try of the first half.
Spilled at the base of the scrum by Italy and that ends the half. We’re all square after 40 minutes.
Scotland knock it on beside Italy’s 10m line. Scrum for the visitors there.
Gallorini goes over from short range after Italy had worked down the left side. Ferrarin converts.
Emerging Scotland 7-7 Italy U23
Geordie Gwynn picks up a knock and goes off. He’s replaced by Amena Caqusau.
Italy win a penalty for holding on and go quickly, grubbering it in behind. Gwynn misses it, and then it’s knocked on by Scotland in the tackle.
Italy scrum around 25 metres from our line.
A kick through from Scott and Italy put it into touch. We throw in from around 30 metres out.
We kick to touch on halfway, then grab the lineout ball back and are on the attack.
The 18-year-old prop becomes Emerging Scotland’s first ever point scorer!
He had about five metres to cover, and the Boroughmuir RFC product does brilliantly to barge the defenders away. Scott converts.
Emerging Scotland 7-0 Italy U23
Italy steal it back, but their kick to touch goes straight out after they took it back into their own 22.
Scotland lineout around 20 metres from the line.
Scotland almost coast to coast!
Italy knock it on inches short of our line, and McAlpine thumps it downfield with Johnston tearing after it.
Italy get their just in time, but a pass goes loose and Geordie Gwynn puts Brisighella under all sorts of pressure as he picks it up on his line.
The visitors survive, but Scotland have a lineout just inside their 10.
This one is hoofed deep into our 22 on Italy’s left.
Scotland pinch the lineout and Kerr Johnston is nearly away down the right. He’s brought down and Italy infringe at the ruck.
But Scott’s kick for touch has gone dead! Italy bring it back to halfway where they’ll get the scrum.
Italy dominant in the scrum so far and they win the penalty.
It’s kicked to our 22.
Another kick clear from Scott, then an aerial battle ensues. Ollie Smith thinks he’s through after gathering a loose one, but he just spills it as he’s picking it up and Italy get the scrum a metre or so inside their half.
Scotland steal it back and Scott kicks clear. Italy run it back but knock it on, and we get the scrum around 25m from our line.
Scotland driven off their own ball and then there’s a high tackle from Conor McAlpine.
Italy kick the penalty to just outside our 22.
A squint throw and Scotland get the scrum.
Side-to-side from Scotland and they’re turned over as Italy win the holding on penalty at the ruck on their 22.
Touch is found on their 10m line.
Italy clear but only as far as their 22. We’ll throw in there.
The forwards hammer away at the line but a big collision dislodges the ball.
Italy with the scrum on their five.
We get the scrum as Italy knock on the lineout, then win the penalty.
It’s kicked to halfway, where we win another penalty. This one goes into the left corner. 80 metres gained in less than a minute there!
Scotland the more physical team so far, but a good kick in behind from Ferrarin rolls into touch inside Scotland’s 22.
We win the scrum free-kick, which Scott hoofs down to outside our 10 and out.
Scotland under the pump for a lot of phases there but they hold firm. Eventually there’s a knock on from Italy and we get the scrum put-in just over five metres from our line.
Scotland pinged once more and the ball goes into the left corner.
Scotland steal it at a ruck but then are slow to the next breakdown, allowing Italy to get onto the ball and win the jackal penalty.
It’s kicked out just outside our 22.
COME ON SCOTLAND!
The kick takes one bounce, is caught by Cammy Scott and is sent into touch on our 10m line.
Ferrarin will get us started as Emerging Scotland attack the Murrayfield end first.
The teams are out on the pitch here at Hive. Time for some anthem singing.
Emerging Scotland are currently huddled up on the Hive turf, about to return to the changing rooms for the final prep.
Tonight’s fixture forms part of the National Academy pilot programme which was launched in September to add increased value to the development of a selected group of promising players. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has coached the players during the programme along with forwards coach John Dalziel, defence coach Steve Tandy, scrum coach Pieter De Villiers and skills/contact coach Pete Horne.
The Emerging Scotland game is part of the Scottish Rugby Male Performance Pathway which was outlined earlier this year, including A team matches for Scotland, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby.
The first ever Emerging Scotland team sheet.
A first ever game for Emerging Scotland as they host Italy U23 at Hive Stadium on a brisk December Saturday night.
Stay here for all the updates.
Kick-off 6:45 pm