Italy 27 Scotland 29: Greig Laidlaw holds nerve as Scots edge seven-try thriller

This was highway robbery. Rarely has any side in the Six Nations ever been under the pump for so long yet emerged with a win, let alone one with a bonus point that must have added insult to injury for the Azzurri’s crestfallen supporters.

For at least three quarters of this match, Rome, so often the city of eternal damnation for the men in dark blue, threatened once again to deal a kick to Scottish aspirations in the unmentionables. Yet with barely a minute left on the clock, Greig Laidlaw kicked the penalty which gave Scotland a win that was as undeserved as it was harsh on poor Italy.

“I am destroyed and my players are destroyed because this is a match we should have won from 24-12 up,” said Italy coach Conor O’Shea afterwards. “But mark my words, we’re coming.”

Even Gregor Townsend was forced to concede afterwards that “for the first 60 or 70 minutes Italy were the favourites to win”.

As they sought to avoid equalling France’s record of 17 successive losses in the Championship, Italy showed the sort of verve, desire and drive that has characterised Scotland at Murrayfield under Townsend.

With former Scotland age grade stand-off Tommaso Allan putting in a performance of sublime assurance as he grabbed two tries, made the third and scored 22 points in his man of the match performance, they grabbed the initiative from the kick-off and dominated the first half in particular.

For most of this encounter Italy dominated possession and mixed it up beautifully between backs and forwards, with flankers Sebastian Negri and Jake Polledri carrying with real venom and power. By the time the match reached the hour mark, they had scored three well-crafted tries and led by 12 points.

But it says much about Scotland that it was not enough. Before the transformation begun by Vern Cotter this is a match that they would almost certainly have lost. But as with France, when they came from behind, instead of wilting they found a way to win ugly. This time Scotland made up for their deficiencies elsewhere by turning to the maul, with three of their four tries coming directly from lineout drives, including two in the last quarter after Laidlaw had moved to stand-off and Townsend had replaced five of the Scotland pack as the Italian forwards finally ran out of puff.

It also helped that they got the rub of the green with French referee Pascal Gauzere, who awarded just five penalties against Scotland compared to nine against Italy, who were also on the wrong end of two free kicks. O’Shea later railed against Gauzere’s performance, and in particular his decision to chalk off a try two minutes after half-time when outstanding fullback Matteo Minozzi dropped a ball from a poor Sergio Parisse pass with the tryline beckoning. O’Shea may have had a point when he claimed the ball did not go forward, but Italy would score within two minutes, so it was not a match-changing decision.

Besides, this was a match that Italy had in their gift until Scotland muscled up and wrested back the initiative in the final quarter. The home side were on top from the kick-off and converted that dominance into points as early as the fifth minute, when Allan kicked them ahead after Scotland strayed offside.

Although hooker Fraser Brown, who was to go off with another worrying head knock, scored a try in the corner after the quietly impressive Nick Grigg barrelled downfield and Hamish Watson displayed vision to throw a looping miss-pass from the base of the ruck, it was merely a pause in Italy’s progress. Within minutes the home side were back in front after a lineout drive and a couple of forward surges saw Grigg stuck at the bottom of a ruck as Allan received the ball out wide, the stand-off taking advantage to waltz between Huw Jones and WP Nel.

Moments later Allan created Italy’s second try, putting through a well-judged grubber, with Minozzi just beating Watson to the touchdown, the 21-year-old fullback registering his fourth try of this Six Nations.

It was at this point that the seeds of Scotland’s unlikely comeback were sown. Awarded a penalty deep in their own half, Stuart Hogg spiralled it to eight metres from the Italy line. The resulting lineout drive crabbed its way infield, and although its progress was glacial, it was always forward. When John Barclay crashed over a lightbulb clearly went on.

But Scotland rarely had the ball and invariably gave it straight back to Italy when they did, so a reprise of the tactic had to wait. Instead it was Italy who piled on the pressure. They were unlucky not to score two minutes after half-time when Italy turned Scotland over in midfield and Negri powered over, only to be called back for an earlier knock-on. Not that it stalled their progress: seconds later they turned over Scotland again and this time Polledri broke through Ryan Wilson’s attempted tackle before putting Allan over to make it 24-12.

Despite Townsend swapping the entire front row at half-time and sending on David Denton and Richie Gray soon after in an attempt to change the game’s momentum, it stayed that way until the final quarter. Laidlaw had just moved to stand-off after Russell was sidelined with a head knock, and when Scotland finally got a chance for another lineout drive the little Borderer threw a sublime long pass for Sean Maitland to scuttle over.

With Italy tiring, Hogg – who maintained his record of scoring in every Six Nations while topping the Championship’s yardage chart – finished off another lineout drive with seven minutes remaining to give Scotland a two-point lead.

Even then Italy would not be denied and launched a frenzied assault that saw Jonny Gray pinged for not releasing at the bottom of a ruck. When Allan stepped up to slot a long-range kick between the posts to give Italy a one-point lead with five minutes remaining, they must have thought they had settled this tousy affair. Sadly for them, Laidlaw had other ideas.

Italy:M Minozzi; T Benvenuti (J Hayward, 59), G Bisegni, T Castello (C Canna, 73), M Bellini; T Allan, M Violi (G Palazzani, 66); A Lovotti (N Quaglio, 58), L Ghiraldini (O Fabiani, 76)), S Ferrari (T Pasquali, 60), A Zanni (A Steyn, 52), D Budd, S Negri, J Polledri (G Licata, 66), S Parisse (captain).

Scotland: S Hogg; T Seymour, H Jones (P Horne, 52), N Grigg, S Maitland; F Russell (A Price, 54), G Laidlaw; G Reid (J Bhatti, 40), F Brown (S McInally, 40), W Nel (Z Fagerson, 40), T Swinson (R Gray, 52), J Gray, J Barclay (captain), H Watson, R Wilson (D Denton, 66).

Referee: P Gauzere (France)

Attendance: 65,000

Scoring sequence: Pen Allan 3-0; try Brown 3-5; try Allan 8-5; con Allan 10-5; try Minozzi 15-5; con Allan 17-5; try Barclay 17-10; con Laidlaw 17-12; try Allan 22-12; con Allan 24-12; try Maitland 24-17; con Laidlaw 24-19; try Hogg 24-24; con Laidlaw 24-26; pen Allan 27-26; pen Laidlaw 27-29.

2:21PM

Full-time | Italy 27-29 Scotland

That's it. Ali Price slices a kick into touch from the scrum. Gut-wrenching for Italy. That was their best performance of the tournament by some way.

2:19PM

Italy 27-29 Scotland, 79 minutes

Italy win back the restart but Steyn spills the ball in phase play!

2:19PM

Penalty, Greig Laidlaw! Italy 27-29 Scotland, 79 minutes

Laidlaw lands it now.

2:16PM

Scotland are mauling...

They've forced a penalty! 

2:15PM

Penalty, Tommaso Allan! Italy 27-26 Scotland, 75 minutes

He's landed it from 40 metres. What a kick.

2:14PM

Italy 24-26 Scotland, 74 minutes

Italy have a penalty! Braam Steyn carried really hard and Jonny Gray was trapped in the breakdown. It's kickable.

2:12PM

Try, Stuart Hogg! Italy 24-26 Scotland, 71 minutes

Clinical from Scotland. A maul eats up about 15 metres - maybe more. The forwards then go through a few narrow phases before Laidlaw darts blind from fly-half and feeds Hogg, who slices the tired Italy line.

It's an excellent try. Laidlaw converts for the lead as well.

2:08PM

Italy 24-19 Scotland, 68 minutes 

Ah. That's a mistake from Parisse. He gathers the ball in the back-field and shapes to kick (!) before taking the ball into contact. Hamish Watson and David Denton swarm over the ball and win the penalty.

2:05PM

Italy 24-19 Scotland, 66 minutes

Long, long attack from Scotland but it ends when John Barclay spills at the base of a ruck.

Jalke Polledri comes off. He's emptied himself. Fantastic Test debut.

2:01PM

Try, Sean Maitland! Italy 24-19 Scotland, 61 minutes

We're going to have a grandstand finish here. Scotland's maul narrows Italy's defensive line and Laidlaw feeds Maitland with a looping pass off his left hand...then nails the conversion.

1:55PM

Italy 24-12 Scotland, 56 minutes   

That was the first sign of tentativeness from Italy. They went through a few lateral phases around the halfway line and Barclay pounced to win a penalty. All of a sudden Scotland are within 10 metres of the hosts' line.

1:52PM

Italy 24-12 Scotland, 53 minutes  

Another blow for Scotland. Finn Russell comes off. That means Ali Price will come on, which Laidlaw sliding to fly-half as he did against France. Meanwhile, Italy have a scrum.

1:51PM

Stats man

What a shift this is.

1:49PM

Italy 24-12 Scotland, 52 minutes 

Very interesting Scotland changes. Huw Jones makes way for Peter Horne, presumably nudging Nick Grigg to outside centre. Richie Gray replaces Tim Swinson as well.

1:48PM

Italy 24-12 Scotland, 51 minutes

This game's breaking up (even more).

1:42PM

Italy 24-12 Scotland, 49 minutes

Finn Russell chips into touch on the full again...Italy are in possession and into the Scotland 22. Budd, Polledri and Parisse link...and we are going to the TMO again. Parisse thinks Russell deliberately knocked the ball on. There is no conclusive evidence, though. 

Scotland win the scrum penalty. Big let-off for them.

1:40PM

Try, Tommaso Allan! Italy 24-12 Scotland, 46 minutes

They won't be denied this time! Jake Polledri is having a STORMING Test debut. He bullies Ryan Wilson and breaks clear...

 ...before feeding Allan on his left. Allan converts and the lead is a 12-point one!

1:36PM

No try

Negri gallops clear! Hang on...we're going to the TMO. It's disallowed due to a knock-on from Castello after Parisse's pass in the build-up. Right call.

1:34PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 41 minutes

Scotland have changed both of their props, Zander Fagerson and Jamie Bhatti coming on for WP Nel and Gordon Reid.

1:33PM

Second half

We're underway again. Italy gather the kick-off and Violi box-kicks down-field to Hogg.

1:27PM

Match action

Tommaso Allan stepped past Huw Jones for Italy's first try.

1:19PM

Half-time | Italy 17-12 Scotland

Fine defensive stand from Scotland to end the half. They hold Italy up within five metres after both Minozzi and Dean Budd went close. How important will that prove?

1:15PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 40 minutes    

Wow. Polledri wins another penalty on the deck. They go to touch with the clock in the red.

1:13PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 38 minutes   

Sebastian Negri barrels forward into the Scotland 22 but now Scotland force a penalty on the deck. This is an excellent game.

1:08PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 35 minutes  

Big moment, and it belongs to Jake Polledri. He's over the ball to win a penalty for Italy.

1:06PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 32 minutes 

Scotland are in the corner again, but this time the maul malfunctions. They're still in possession, though.

1:03PM

Match action

Italy celebrating Tommaso Allan's try here.

1:02PM

Italy 17-12 Scotland, 29 minutes

Polledri makes a big tackle on Watson before Huw Jones threads through a kick. Italy carry the ball over the touchline, so Scotland's lineout maul can go to work again.

12:59PM

Try, John Barclay! Italy 17-12 Scotland, 25 minutes

Italy give up a penalty in centre-field, Scotland kick to the corner and their driving maul does the rest. That easy. Skipper John Barclay is the man to emerge from the heap as Pacal Gauzere awards the try.

Laidlaw adds the extra two this time.

12:55PM

Happy Catt

12:54PM

Try, Matteo Minozzi! Italy 17-5 Scotland, 21 minutes

That man Minozzi! Ferrari barges over the gain-line - he's having an excellent game - and Allan threads a chip through the Scotland line.

Minozzi is alive to the chance and speeds through, reaching the ball just in front of Hamish Watson. That's his fourth try of the Championship.

 Allan converts. This is fascinating stuff.

12:51PM

Italy 10-5 Scotland, 18 minutes

Finn Russell attempts a cross-field kick pass that sails into touch...Italy come back at Scotland from the lineout and are into the 22 again.

12:49PM

Match action

 Huw Jones looks to wriggle free.

12:46PM

Try, Tommaso Allan! Italy 10-5 Scotland, 14 minutes

Fantastic start, this. A penalty gets Italy some decent field position and they attack swiftly from the lineout. Allan spots a gaps and steps past Huw Jones to score. He then converts and Italy have a handy lead.

12:44PM

Very fair point

12:42PM

Try, Fraser Brown! Italy 3-5 Scotland, 9 minutes

What a response from Scotland. Nick Grigg scuttles over the gain-line and Sean Maitland makes ground on the left before Finn Russell darts to within two metres.

The ball gets messy from there as Italy scramble back, but Hamish Watson flips the ball out to Brown, who dots down. Greig Laidlaw misses the touchline conversion. 

12:39PM

Penalty, Tommaso Allan! Italy 3-0 Scotland, 6 minutes

Patient play from Italy, which all starts from a powerful scrum spearheaded by tighthead prop Simone Ferrari.

Centre Tommaso Castello throws an excellent looped pass to Tommaso Benvenuti and Scotland are offside soon afterwards inside their own 22. Allan lands the three points. 

12:34PM

Italy 0-0 Scotland, 3 minutes

Italy hooker Leo Ghiraldini carries hard but Scotland stand firm and scrum-half Marcello Violi threads through a grubber into touch. 

The hosts then steal Fraser Brown's lineout. However, Brown responds with a opportunistic breakdown turnover.

 Scotland spill, though, so it'll be an Italy scrum on the opposition 10-metre line.

12:31PM

Kick-off

And we're off. Tommaso Allan kicks and gets it back straightaway after Stuart Hogg catches and clears. Italy are into their phase-play following a quick kicking exchange.

12:29PM

Quick reminder of the teams

12:26PM

Anthems

John Barclay and Stuart Hogg have typified Scotland's Championship. They've been superb in patches and subdued in others. Can they finish strongly in Rome?

12:24PM

Players out

Here they come. Parisse leads Italy up the stairs and onto the Stadio Olimpico surface.

12:22PM

Ten minutes until kick-off

Conditions look dry, if overcast. The players are back in the changing rooms now, but here's a shot of Scotland's huddle just before they headed there. They hung a Saltire on the crossbar as they did in Ireland.

12:16PM

Coaches corner

Gregor Townsend: "We're representing our country, we're here to win and finishing the season with a win will bring optimism.

Conor O'Shea: "If we start well, which we haven't been doing, that changes the mental energy of the game."

12:11PM

O'Shea's day?

 Here's the Italy coach during the warm-up.

12:08PM

Record-breaker

Italy have lost 16 Six Nations matches in a row, which is a record. Their skipper Parisse has accumulated 99 Test losses, meaning he will reach three figures in the case of a Scotland win today....obviously.

Here is a list of the 20 players that have suffered the most Test losses in history. There are some indisputable modern greats on there.

11:54AM

First blood to Italy...

 Just over half an hour until kick-off.

11:39AM

Permutation stations

As you already know...England can't finish top. They can, however, finish anywhere between second and fifth. In fact, those positions are going to be changing all day.

11:31AM

Morph suits galore

Fans are filling up the Plaza del Papolo.

11:28AM

New face

Here's a reminder of the teams, which tells you that Gloucester's Jake Polledri is starting at openside flanker for Italy. 

He received his match shirt from Sergio Parisse last night.

If you haven't already, make sure to read this interview with him by my colleague Dan Schofield. It's an excellent read.

11:26AM

Scene set

About an hour until kick-off in Rome.

11:22AM

Pinball wizard

Good morning and welcome to the first Telegraph Rugby live blog of the final day of the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations. It's been a typically compelling tournament punctuated by some fine games.

It's difficult to know what to think of Scotland's campaign. They were battered in Cardiff then squeezed past France before landing a famous victory over England. After that, Ireland overturned them fairly comfortably. 

They'll be keen to finish with a flourish against Italy, who have endured another hugely disappointing campaign. 

Gregor Townsend has made a few changes. Here's what fly-half Finn Russell said about Nick Grigg, one of the new faces who will start at inside centre.

Here is a full preview of the game from my colleague Richard Bath.