Scotland’s Laidlaw and Seymour finish off battling Italy to end drought

For Scotland, the rot has been stopped, and it matters little how. Their terrible run had reached nine games and, while Vern Cotter’s team will know Tommy Seymour’s late try gives the illusion of a comfort that was not always there, they have never scored this many points in the Six Nations, and that is not to be sniffed at. Twice in the last quarter they were reduced to 14 men, twice they hung on.

These teams’ seasons are defined by games against each other. Seldom is the margin between the Championship’s perennial cellar dwellers this wide, and indeed this was only the second time in seven Six Nations meetings that the difference has reached two converted scores. The next challenge is to beat anybody else; both teams last did that in 2013. Scotland look best placed to end that sorry run too, and their chance against the French at Murrayfield in a fortnight looks as good as any.

Seymour’s score added polish but Scotland, despite a sloppy start, were good value for their victory. They dominated the scrum to the extent that it was a surprise not to see an Italian prop carded. The back row was immense – particularly in the first half – and Stuart Hogg was the whirring, fizzing ball of chutzpah Scottish supporters have come to expect. The first and third of Scotland’s tries came thanks to his ability to draw two men and still get the ball away in the wide channels

. It took Italy’s first points to stir Scotland into life. Kelly Haimona punished John Barclay from 40 metres for being off his feet, but from the resultant restart, Haimona gathered and kicked long and the Scots simply refused to give the ball back. Hogg charged with purpose from deep and, after the lumbering thrust of Jonny Gray, Hogg jinked outside, then in, before having the wherewithal to offload from the tackle to Barclay, who crossed at pace in the left corner.

Barclay is one of Scotland’s two opensides; both were at the heart of their renewed vigour, shadowing runners expertly, and six minutes later John Hardie joined his fellow flanker on the scoresheet. This time it was Russell who brought the craft, nimbly breaking into the Italian 22, and offloading to Alastair Dickinson. Quick ball found Ryan Wilson, whose flat pass sent Hardie over in the same corner. Again, Laidlaw converted, this time from a tighter angle. When Edoardo Gori failed to roll away, Laidlaw knocked over a penalty, again from the left-hand side, to nudge Scotland 14 points ahead.

Wilson, the third member of the backrow, proved a marauding presence having been called into the XV at the 11th hour in place of David Denton, who did not overcome a groin strain. A shuddering hit on Haimona saw Wilson’s strapped ankle investigated, but on he soldiered, tackling hard, peeling off mauls and generally playing with more purpose than Denton had in the opening two matches. Were it not for Blair Cowan’s concussion – which peculiarly saw him ruled out of this match but playing for London Irish on Sunday, Wilson would not have even been on the bench. It was no surprise, after such a shift, to see him pull up lame in the second half.

However, the Italians hit back. Three minutes after Laidlaw’s penalty, Leonardo Ghiraldini finished a delightful team try. Sergio Parisse, as ever the Italians’ most forceful presence, drew men in midfield before Gonzalo García surged towards the left-hand corner, taking defenders with him. His offload found the more artful David Odiete who, after some subtle footwork, flicked to Ghiraldini, who fooled Hogg with a dummy and bundled over. The hands were supple, the thinking was quick, and Haimona added the extras.

Laidlaw remained unfazed. Three points at a time, he moved the Scots forward, while he communicated with the referee, Jaco Peyper, assertively and cleverly as his team defended manically on its line. Eventually, as the penalties piled up, the warning came, and as it went unheeded not once, but twice, was punished with yellow cards. First Russell dived over the top in his own 22, then, when he had returned, Nel was adjudged to have intentionally knocked on.

Almost immediately after Russell was sent to the sin-bin, Martin Castrogiovanni rumbled forward, much to the crowd’s delight, and Marco Fuser crossed under a bundle of bodies. Upon Russell’s return, Scotland had a put-in on their own five metre line, and when Castrogiovanni buckled, Hogg launched a huge kick to halfway; another penalty saw Russell move Scotland into the Italian 22 and the pressure was relieved.

Even after Nel was given his marching orders with five minutes to go, the Scots never returned to their half, and it was left to Seymour to finish a fine move and add the gloss. The ball went wide off the back of a maul, a Barclay offload saw the ball find its way to Hogg, who again drew two men andsumptuously slipped it out sideways for Seymour to finish.