Scotland vs Italy
The Scots will be smarting after their loss to old rivals Ireland. The match never rose to any great heights and the boot of Johnny Sexton proved the difference in a tight contest. The Italians on the other hand were severely beaten by the Welsh in Rome. The calls for Italy to be dumped out of the Six Nations keep getting louder and they are proving to be the whipping boys once again. The Scotland forward pack has certainly improved in this season’s competition while their backline which was their strength has regressed. Finn Russell so often the catalyst for Scottish attacks looks flat and his half back partner Ali Price has lost confidence. It was an error by Price that led to Sexton kicking the winning and that would not have helped his already low self esteem. Stuart Hogg will be eyeing tries against the Italians whose porous defense remains their biggest weakness. The Italians lone shining star has been Sebastian Negri who in losing causes has crossed the line twice and will be hoping his teammates can match his efforts. The battle between Negri and Hamish Watson will be one of the highlights of the match. The Scots need to show that killer instincts against Italy to resurrect their Six Nations campaign.
TIP: The Scots are obvious favorites in this match and offer no value for an outright victory therefore I’m backing them on the handicap(-26.5) The likes of Duhan Van der Merwe and Stuart Hogg will have to come to the party and make this a comprehensive victory and anything less will be seen as a failure. The attacking Scotland of old needs to return with that flair and attacking ability running through the whole team. The Scots must be fancied to cover the handicap (-26.5) and Sunbet has them at 1.89 while Betway and 1xBet has them at 1.80 and 1.73 respectively on the same handicap.
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Scotland vs Italy
- The last 9 matches have been won by Scotland.
- Italy last won against Scotland in 2015.
- In 14 home matches against Italy, Scotland has only lost twice.
Latest results for both teams
Scotland lost their last game to Ireland 27-24 while Italy also lost their last game against Wales 48-7.
PREDICTION
The Scots started the tournament in great fashion by defeating England at Twickenham but unfortunately two narrow losses have almost certainly put paid to their title ambitions. There isn’t much for these teams to play for except pride so we can expect them to throw caution to the wind and attack from the start.
- Probable Starting XVs
Scotland
15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 James Lang, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price; 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 George Turner, 3 WP Nel, 4 Scott Cummings, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 Blade Thomson, 7 Hamish Watson, 8 Matt Fagerson.
Italy
15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Michele Lamaro, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 David Sisi, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Giosue Zilocchi, 2 Luca Bigi (captain), 1 Danilo Fischetti.
Odds for this bet
The Scots offer no value on an outright victory but these are the best odds on a Scotland handicap (-26.5) win.
Sunbet 1.89
Betway 1.80
1xBet 1.73
Odds comparison
A Scottish handicap (-26.5) win is priced at:
Sunbet 1.89
Betway 1.80
1xBet 1.73
Predictions and Odds in details
This match as is the unfortunate norm when Italy play is by how many points are Italy going to lose by. They have not won a Six Nations match since 2013 and that won’t change is this match. Scotland will be keen to unleash the firepower they have in their backline. The score in this match could get ugly if Italy continues with their poor defense. I have no doubt that the Italians are going to spend their day defending and this will tire them out and we could see an avalanche of tries especially later in the game. The Scots will win this match by at least 30 points. The Scots must be fancied to cover the handicap (-26.5) and Sunbet has them at 1.89 while Betway and 1xBet has them at 1.80 and 1.73 respectively on the same handicap.
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
