Scotland short of clout

Given the refusal of the Scottish camp to shamefacedly bow heads as they went off tae think again, it was left to Massimo Giovanelli, Italy's black-eyed and black-bearded captain, to be embarrassed on their behalf.

Asked to compare Scotland with England, the Paris University Club flanker shifted uneasily in his chair. "It is difficult," he said, "because we are in Scotland." Suspecting he might have offended his hosts, Giovanelli swiftly added that while Scotland may be well short in terms of forward power, "maybe they play with more art than England, and I love this way to play more than the English way."

What he meant, it seemed, was he preferred to play against the Scottish way. Such a back-handed compliment might have been welcomed as a musical relief to English ears amid the jeers at Twickenham on Saturday but it spoke volumes for the lingering shortcomings north of Hadrian's Wall. It was an indictment of how little control Scotland were able to exert on Saturday that they ran in four tries, prevented the Italians from crossing their try-line, yet still only scraped through.

They trailed 12-8 at the break, took 42 minutes to nose in front and were facing the prospect of a humbling home draw until a breakaway try, which required Italian assistance, 11 minutes from the end.

It would be stretching the truth to say you could hear the relieved sighs two miles away in Princes Street. There was more chance of hearing the ringing city centre tills at Murrayfield, such was the alien atmosphere in a stadium barely one-third full.

It seemed an effort even for the Scots on the pitch to summon enthusiasm for their Italian job. As the watching Gavin Hastings lamented: "The Italians looked as though they were the more comfortable professionals."

At least the basic errors which undermined the Scottish cause, the persistent infringements and the pitiful kicking, can be overcome on the training ground. The lingering lack of clout up front is more of a concern. If the Scottish forwards are unable to impose themselves against an Italian pack ground into submission at Twickenham last month (admittedly, they were minus the towering lock Giambattista Croci), what chance do they have in the Five Nations?

The same question, of course, was posed after a near-full-strength Scottish XV, hiding behind an A team banner, lost to Italy in Rieti in January. It was answered, after Scotland got three-quarters of the way to a Grand Slam, when Dean Richards gave them a mauling at Murrayfield in March.

Only three of the pack that played on Saturday were born north of Gloucester and, short of tracing more family trees for distant shades of tartan, Richie Dixon can only make the most of the limited resources at his disposal - and hope that Rob Wainwright's powers of recovery match his back-row powers.

Dixon, Scotland's head coach, gave his team's performance a Jekyll and Hyde label: "When we were good, we were very good. And when we were bad, we were not nearly so good." Yet when the half-backs clicked and Gregor Townsend sparked in his "second five-eighth" role, Scotland's "cutting edge", as Dixon called it, was clinical. It sliced through the thick blue line for three tries that would fall into Bill McLaren's "pip" variety.

Tony Stanger touched down the first, after chasing Rowen Shepherd's chip- kick, in the corner where he drove a dagger through English hearts the best part of seven years ago. The Hawick wing now needs just three more tries to match Ian Smith's Scottish record of 24 that stood as the world's best before the advent of David Campese.

The second was touched down by Kenny Logan but made by a brilliant stooping pass by Damian Cronin, of all people. And the third, Logan's second, came courtesy of a textbook midfield hold-up under pressure by Scott Hastings. The fourth proved the decisive one. Derek Stark raced clear to score it, but only after Diego Dominguez had made a hash of attempting to clear a Hastings punt on the half-way line. It was the only kick the visiting outside-half missed all day.

The Italians must have thought it was Christmas when the Argentinian, one of Hugo Porta's many understudies, landed in their lap. Now that Santa knows how to get to Murrayfield, having delivered the match ball on Saturday, Scotland could do with a gifted player or two themselves next week - wrapped with a bit more muscle, though.

SCOTLAND: R Shepherd (Melrose); T Stanger (Hawick), S Hastings (Watsonians), G Townsend (Northampton, capt), K Logan (Stirling C); C Chalmers (Melrose), B Redpath (Melrose); D Hilton (Bath), K McKenzie (Stirling C), M Stewart (Northampton), D Cronin (Wasps), A Reed (Wasps), M Wallace (Glasgow High/Kelvinside), E Peters (Bath), I Smith (Gloucester). Replacements: D Weir (Newcastle) for Cronin, 53; D Stark (Melrose) for Shepherd, 42.

ITALY: J Pertile (Roma Olimpic); N Mazzucato (Padova), P Vaccari (Calvisano), I Francescato (Treviso), Marcello Cuttitta (Milan); D Dominguez (Milan), A Troncon (Treviso); Massimo Cuttitta (Milan), C Orlandi (Milan), A Castellai (Treviso), G Croci (Milan), W Cristofoletto (Treviso), M Giovanelli (Paris University Club), O Arancio (Milan), A Sgorlon (Treviso). Replacements: L Manteri (Treviso) for Mazzucato, 65; A Moscardi (Treviso) Orlandi, 39.

Referee: D Gillet (France).