scotland-vs-italy-live-six-nations v1.0.0

Italy vs Scotland live stream: how to watch the Six Nations game online,,, Scotland host Italy in the first of the three matches on the concluding day of the 2023 Six Nations that is being dubbed ‘Super Saturday’. Scotland are well out of contention for honours, but will be targeting keeping third place ahead of rivals England.

Italy looks to get its first win of the Six Nations Championship on Saturday when it takes on Scotland. The Italians are 0-4 heading into their last match as they have lost to France, England, Ireland and Wales. They nearly picked up a big win in their first match as they lost just 29-24 to France, but haven't been particularly close in their other three matches. Italy doesn't have a chance to win the championship, but they still want to get a win to wrap up the tournament. It won't be easy against a very good Scotland team that is trying to get its third win. Five years since Scotland last finished in the top three of the Six Nations, Gregor Townsend's men look set to wrap up their championship in style at Murrayfield. They take on Italy in the first game of Super Saturday, knowing that victory would almost certainly secure third place. The breakneck speed of a Six Nations doesn't allow space for self-flagellation. As much as Scotland could beat themselves up over Sunday's second-half performance against Ireland, there's just no time. Another week, another game. A big one.

There's no title on the line for Scotland against Italy on Saturday, but this is no dead rubber. If they win it with a bonus point then they all but guarantee themselves third place in the table for only the second time in a decade.

Finishing as the best of the rest would surely settle any lingering doubts Scottish Rugby may have about renewing Gregor Townsend's contract as head coach beyond the World Cup, presuming he still wants it renewed.

A five-pointer against Italy would kick Scotland into the World Cup build-up in decent heart. They've played some thrilling rugby in victory and defeat in this championship.

The brilliance of Duhan van der Merwe's scores against England, the joy of Finn Russell's second-half performance against Wales, the excellence they showed when 19-0 down in Paris to outscore France 21-6 in the next hour. The Azzurri, however, have plenty of motivation of their own. Having pushed both Ireland and France hard, ill discipline proved their undoing in the two games they actually stood a decent chance of winning, and so it is that they enter the final weekend of the competition at the bottom of the standings and without a victory to their name.

If that's to change in Edinburgh, they surely can't afford to go down to 14 men for 10 minutes, let alone 20, as they did against both England and Wales. The 17-29 defeat last weekend would have stung Kieran Crowley more than the three previous reverses, because even with 14 men on the field they were the better team – they just didn't take their chances.

The absence of Ange Capuozzo was keenly felt, especially at the back, but if anyone's capable of filling his shoes it's Tommaso Allan. That means Paolo Garbisi remains at fly-half, though Crowley has mixed things up elsewhere, handing Alessandro Fusco his first start of the championship at scrum-half, and naming debutant Simone Gesi at left-wing.

Scotland are without injured trio Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg and Richie Gray. Blair Kinghorn starting at fly-half lends a slight throwback feel to the team, while Ollie Smith replaces Hogg, Sam Skinner comes in at lock, and Hamish Watson starts at openside flanker, with skipper Jamie Ritchie switching to the blindside at the expense of Matt Fagerson.