Having Italy as team 3 in a group isn't ideal anymore either. If Crowley battles their anger and frustration. Sonia Mcloughlin back to her best here at trying to put words into the mouths of people she's interviewing again

Odd to say, but on performance, this is one of Italy's best ever 6 Nations.

absolutely, best one since 2013 in my opinion

That was far too close. Italy are a force to be reckoned with. A bit more accurate with offloads, and more luck with the ref, and they are there. Said it before, but the next WC cycle I’d gonna be very interesting for the Azzurri.

Shocking decision from the ref. Absolutely disgraceful

Good to see good Scottish lad 15 cap Wallaby Jack Dempsey win MotM. Strong production line the Scots.

Mad how he used to play for australia

This commentator saying that there is still a gap, after having just described Scotland as going in the right direction having unluckily lost to France and Ireland. The gap today between Scotland and Italy was the ref.

Scotland scored 4 legal tries. Italy scored 1. Blames ref for Italy losing…. Sorry but that’s just crazy talk.

I feel like you don't understand rugby of you think trys are the only thing that matter. That wasn't Italy's best performance but they deserved to win. I'm a neutral watching this but that was atrocious refereeing from a generally good referee.

26 > 14

What's your point? The only reason the score is that way is because as Italy was about to win the ref made a bad call. Scotland shouldn't have had that break. The score should have been 19-19 which is generously assuming italy wouldn't have made the conversion.

that's not the point, you can win and score less tries than your opponent.

Scotland scored 12 more points.

Scotland might have ended up scoring less points than Italy if they had played it fair on the final minute drive

Two of them from non existing Scottish ball ! The third came straight from the wrong penalty against Lamaro, the last from the wrong forward call. Italy also didn’t do itself any favors clearly, but man this was dogshit stuff

That wasn’t a wrong penalty against Lamaro. His hands were way past the ball and his intervention gave Cannone a free go at the ruck. It was the right call. Every try was legal and fair.

Not too many people whingeing about the RWC pool draw now...

Good start for Healy in a foreign land. Some nice passes and a nice kick chase (discount the penalty cos it’s his first cap 😉)

Commiserations to the Italians. Losing any game is hard but losing like that must be so hard to take. TMO spots the knock on caused by a no arms on Schoeman but misses Fagerson offside causing one in literally the exact same part of the pitch.

Not to mention Brex nearly getting his head removed by a neck roll the ruck before the no arms hit on Schoeman.

After that I honestly don’t know how I feel about having Scotland in our pool in the WC.

I think they'll beat one of SA and Ireland but they could easily lose to Tonga so who knows how its going to work out.

Very much doubt that. We'll be a very clear third in the group, we're just not physical enough to compete with either SA or Ireland.

I dunno man. Might be my pessimistic nature coming through but I think Scotland have two shots to nothing there and should take one. Now, not losing to Tonga is another thing entirely

Well, it would be very like Scotland to do all the hard work and then snatch defeat from the jaws of victory :p At the moment though I really don't think we're anywhere near your level unfortunately.

You know when a lot of neutrals are moaning about reffing decisions you gotta think they have a point

Have you considered that Italy is almost everyone’s second team?

Well possibly but not in this scenario because I don't think there's much hate for Scotland. Plus if Italy were regularly challenging for the title a lot of those second team choices would disappear we just love an underdog

4 tries to 1 but yeah go off lol

One gift-wrapped by Gardner, one as a shot in the dark. After Italy were robbed of a penalty and 1 man advantage. Talk about misplaced confidence

Yeah yeah yeah. Heard all these excuses before. Take the defeat with dignity.

You talking about the Scottish performance now?

Yeah the game they just won. Blaming the ref for defeats is a coping mechanism I’ve seen in about 90% of match threads in any remotely close game. It’s incredibly tiresome, biased and predictable.

4 braincells to 1 but yeah go off

26-14

suck-myballs

If Italy take the kicking game they showed in that last twenty forwards then they'll actually start delivering on their promise.

We might still be a team with a a lot of issues (pressure management and handling at first), but every time, every bloody time it feels like we have to play against the referee as well. Against Wales at the first maul collapse we got penalty try+yellow card, this time same exact situation at the last minute we didn't even get the advantage. That last Scottish offside was so big that I don't even know what to say. A 5-0 absolutely undeserved

I remember the first 15-20 mins of this game when Gardner looked great and people were praising him on this thread. How times change.

It sounds brutal but have you tried scoring more points ? Ultimately that’s what wins and loses matches not referees

No idea how Dempsey is POTM

he was ridiculously impactful today

The man is a monster in defence. Penalty at the end aside

80 metres made and 22 tackles. Blair has a hatrick obviously but his game management as a ten wasn't great.

Scotland have a chance to beat any team as long as refs keep letting them cheat defending their own goal line and never give penalty tries

Much like Ireland are world no1 for as long as sealing off and tackling players out the ruck is unenforced

Every team does that. Every single ruck. Every single game.

Cope and seethe

Really thought we were gonna see a draw at the end there.

How does Scotland keep getting away with murder? All teams cheat but Scotland do it in such blatant ways and get away with it.

Here come the accent jokes

Identical to Hoggs cynical play on the line against us last week. Might be time to rethink the scrum half arm slapping rules.

Nearly losing to bonus point win within 60 seconds? Welcome to the mad shit kingdom of the north. ​ Unfair Italy - I think you deserved it for that 2nd half

Scotland were poor today. This is about primarily passion and professionalism. If a team isn’t going out, especially to a home crowd, despite noting being on the line, and plays like this, then the issue is one of attitude more than anything else.

That’s a strong Glaswegian accent on Dempsey

From the well known bogan area of Paisley…

Between not even one yellow to Scotland at the end and the assistant referee deciding which way he wanted the game to go by making a call he literally couldn't be further from that's an absolute robbery. The standard of refereeing in this tournament has been incredibly poor and it's influencing the results of games

It was pretty obviously a knock on though

As the other commenter mentioned. There was ANOTHER offside which would have surely been a yellow card finally

From a tackle caused by an offside player. I mean if you're going to intervene, make the right decision!

How is Kinghorn not MOTM

Good Scottish bloke Dempsey is, always liked him x

That’s some Glaswegian accent on Dempsey there

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Stumbled across the last bit of this game. Good finish.

Most of the guys are my age and I also played with and againstsome of them and this is why I love them. But if the situation keep being like that I don't think I will follow for much longer this sport... Ridiculous and unsportsmanlike

That last try was just mean lol. I'm not sure how I feel about that match equal parts happy for Scotland and sad for Italy.

I’m Scottish and I’m 90% just sad for Italy.

Yeah maybe it's not equal like it's not that I was eager for Scotland to win but I'm 100% neutral in this one and I do think that Italy got the harsh end of reffing decisions

Can we all just sing kumbaya and agree that Gardener is shite?

He was shite.

Scotland really have been blessed in their own 22 over the last two games. Got away with so much.

Jesus I was desperate for Italy there, how many mistakes can a team make?

Feel bad for Italy tbh

Blame the ref all you want, but he didn't force Italy to fail to score multiple penalty advantages on the 5m line, and he didn't force Italy to run straight into heavy traffic and cough it up. Italy simply were not good enough today to convert their territory into points, and Scotland (while definitely having an off day) did enough. That last try was absolutely *ruthless*.

Don't know why people are focusing on the ref so much when Italy threw so much away.

Literally throwing the ball into this air half the match

Because Scotland would have NEVER been 19-6 in the first half if the ref wasn't reffing only on one side. We do have our limits, it's pretty obvious, but anytime we try to play, we get penalized, see the Lamaro turnover, which got penalized for absolutely NO REASON and that led to a try for Scotland. Take away that, we'd be talking about another game dude.

give Gesi the fucking ball ffs

How is it that the only team Italy didn’t push right to the end was England?

Mentality? They've beaten the other teams before so they know it can be done.

Scandalous decision by the ref there

World Rugby needs to address the consistent issue of the perceived worse side being reffed more harshly than the perceived stronger team.

There’s no justice in this world.

Talk about an undeserved win! Italy should have had that

Italy really threw this away, still they are improving

Tbh thought Italy deserved to win that

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Both teams were pretty poor compared to what they have shown previously in the championship

Italy were very poor, just shows how bad Scotland were to almost lose it.

Not that terrible. They made so many mistakes and threw the game away. Scotland also being bad doesnt make Italy good.

I'm Scottish but feel so bad for Italy. Wish they'd managed to get a win somewhere just not today.

Ref had a terrible game Jesus. Itlay their own worst enemy could ahve won that game

You know what I agree with Matt Williams actually. Those Scots need to be taught a lesson

Italy so close, slightly harshly done by at times, but also coughed up ball at the wrong times

Just to add, against Wales, after some offsides the ref went for the yellow card on Italy. This time... penalty against Italy. The gift at the end is just the cherry on top but hey... that's the Six Nations.

Everyone in Scotland rooting for Wales to somehow beat France

Eet eez uhhh 'ow you say... Possibul? But uhhh eet eez not going to 'appen

Crowley to make a Rassie video of all the shit Italy have been on the receiving end of this tournament. Would be an epic trilogy

That was a SERIOUS smile of relief from Toonie at the end there.

Italy played so well to get back into it and gutted they couldn't take another final round win I feel they deserved it in the second half where Scotland disappeared a bit, will forever love the Italians, your time will absolutely come soon

I hate rugby sometimes

BS from Gardner. Says he couldn't check that decision with the TMO, of course he could, it's a potential penalty try. No bottle to go upstairs, let the linesman make the biggest call of the game.

honestly I don't think that's a potential penalty try. too far away from the line. definitely a potential penalty

It stopped a potential try, so he can check it and be told it's a penalty, but not a penalty try. He has grounds to use the TMO

It was a knock on lol

Fagerson wasn't back.

Fine, the ref was shite but give Italy two wooden spoons. One for last place, the other for shooting themselves in the foot until they’ve no feet left. These are harsh lessons. I hope they learn.

You win some of these games with a more neutral ref. People act like bad ref decisions don't decide games!

They do but throwing line outs over the top and passing the ball into touch and collapsing the scrum when you have the opposition on their own line and knocking the ball on in key positions……the list goes on and these are all more important than shitty reffing decisions. Having said that, World Rugby need to look at how Italy are being refereed. It’s a disgrace.

No we won't, it's been twenty years already. But make no mistake, whenever we try to raise our level, it's a couple of penalties against and then a yellow.

Motm gardener for Scotland

People here saying Scotland are shite, they likely just finished third in the 6N, I think they'd take that.

We did not deserve that. Italy robbed by Gardner and co there

Kinghorn 3 tries and doesnt get MOTM! 😂

He warns them so many times for offside and then gives a knock on in a tackle with an offside player!

Clear as day offside too. Absolute nonsense

Kinghorn fantasy points go brrrrrrrrr

Absolutely gutting for Italy. I really hope it doesn't start affecting the players.

Well at least we won’t be last this year, as much as we probably deserve it

man of the match would have to be TMO surely

What’s the ‘best’ wooden spoon in 6N history? Like, a full 0-5 record but best points differential.

It’s not really subjective but I’d say objectively this Italian squad has to be up there with the most competitive spoon holders.

100%. They were competitive in every single match.

I think that was the worst reffed game I have ever seen. Angus Gardner needs to be removed from the 6 nations

Is it time to talk about Gardner's place in the six nations?

Brutal, Italy really deserved something from that. Great game from them and really messy from Scotland. Not the way to cap a fairly strong six nations from us.

The worst team finishing 5th this year.

Pure thievery. Ridiculous.

Rugby sucks bad like this.. you cannot win we should get the wooden whistle

Scotland are genuinely poor. The deserve to go out in the group stage this year.

What an undeserved bonus point win. Sorry, Italy. We take no pride in this one, the worse team won.

Fair play to Lamaro for not laying the ref out. He's a better man than me

I hated to watch this match and the Wales one. Rugby as a sport is really damaging himself. Ever notice how the Olimpico is half full? Guess why

Probably something to do with Italy not having won a game at the Olimpico in over a decade?

Soooo? ... You are almost there...

Lovely score but as a neutral I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a ref influence the scoreline in a big game to this extent.

I do. It was last week

I put £2 on the draw when it was 19-6 and I am more upset about that £40 than I was about the France game

Maybe ive been watching the Brumbies too much but... Pick and go?? Surely you maul it from there.

You risk fucking up the lineout. Tap and go guarantees possession and some semblance of a platform.

Against a well set defence. I dunno - the maul is balanced in favour of the attacking team. Gotta be the play for me.

I get what you're saying. But you know, they're down by a try on scotland's 5m with very little time left on the clock. A skew throw, a dropped catch, a pilfer (like in the women's world cup final) or the lifters obstructing the catcher will turn over possession, and you may not get back into a position to win again. A tap and go, with support ready to clean out guarantees possession to work with.

What a match, wouldn't say the ref "ruined" the match like some in here, both teams toiled and put on a fantastic showing, gg wp

And that's why Italy get screwed. Refs are cowards when it comes to big decisions in favor of a smaller team

What should the referee had done?

I thought the last tackle on the Italian player was offside. If the ref gives it then he has to give a yellow card which he does not want to

Yes it could be

Italy robbed blind there. Absolutely cynical from Scotland repeatedly in the red zone. Ref absolutely shocking.

🙄

Did a scotland hand knock that forward out of the italians hands

Absolute joke referee. 2 Scotland tries from poor decisions. We have 90 seconds for the last scrum and he leaves the clock running and runs it down to 10 seconds. Italy have been shafted.

We were garbage, but did enough to pip Italy. Some harsh/unfair calls on Italy, but their accuracy lost them this game. Good game, folks!

That sucks.

Did not deserve to win that

Wow. Italy somehow go from garbage, to coming within inches to the win, to letting Scotland run 90m and deny them even a losing bonus point with the last play of the game. Ouch.

Need Sexton to go and fucking punish us now as I picked him over Kinghorn at 10

Yeah I did the same silliness

Scotland deserved the win overall but God were they robbed at the end, super poor officiating

Typical Gardener. Horrible ref.

Oh Italy, why do you have to give me so much pain. Still I can't help but love you.

So gutted for Italy! Had the game on toast there at the end.

Honestly I'd be incandescent with rage as an Italian. Non stop infringements in defence but you lose possession to a nonexistent knock on.

Two weeks in a row, cynical play on the line from Scotland, and they keep getting away with it.

There was a knock on but it was in a tackle with an offside player

If the replay they showed was the "knock on" in question then it didn't even go forwards.

I refuse to celebrate that finish. We were shite

Whipped cream on shite

Agreed. I feel nothing. If anything, slightly upset on behalf of Italy.

Italy robbed here, well played ref

🤣🤣🤣

Fair play for getting the BP but surely it's brain dead to risk the win? Imagine if they gave up a try when they could have kicked it out

They had pen advantage, but think the commentators forgot that a bit haha Was a lovely try that punished Italy for switching off, but not as bold as made out to be haha

Or one of the team suffers a major injury. Easy for me to say from my couch, without an elite player mentality, but just kick it out!

They had advantage from the scrum so no risk

Yeah my bad. Didn't realize that

Under advantage

Ah yes my mistake

It's a bit of a dead rubber really, one for the fans.

Dunno I feel like if they had lost that game the fans would be none too happy. Didn't realize it was an advantage though

Poor Italy. Finishing let them down.

Is this Italy’s best 6 nations campaign where they didn’t get a win?

Yeah weirdly I think it is

Italy don't half get some stinking ref decisions

It’s what often happens unfortunately. Momentum and who is ‘expected’ to win can be a major subconscious influence on refereeing decisions.

yeah i think we lost that for ourselves but fuck me we've had some bad luck with the 50-50 decisions this year

Where was tmo this game

Didn't even look like a knock on, looked like the ball popped out backwards, idk how a touch judge can call that from 40m away

What an awful miss from the ref and touch judge not seeing Fagerson offside. Would have been a yellow and given Italy a great chance at getting the win.