Scotland coach Matt Williams admitted he was “devastated” by today’s 20-14 RBS 6 Nations Championship defeat by Italy at the Stadio Flaminio – but still felt there were positives that could be taken from the match.
Memories of the Azzurri’s famous victory over the Scots in their first Six Nations outing in 2000 came flooding back following an untidy match which made up for its lack of quality with a heavy dose of high drama.
The encounter was finely poised at 9-9 going into the interval but an opportunist try from hooker Fabio Ongaro shortly after the restart sparked Italy’s second-half domination as the visitors found themselves out-fought.
It was an abject display from Scotland, who are now clear favourites for the championship wooden spoon, and while Williams was disappointed with the outcome, he was not entirely disheartened with what he saw.
“Italy played well, so congratulations to them. They tried very hard and their performance meant they deserved the victory. I was particularly pleased for (Italy coach) John Kirwan. Today proved what a good coach he is,” he said.
“I’m devastated by the result but I felt we did a few good things out there. Our defence was well organised and I felt we did a good job in keeping them out for most of the game.”
Scotland’s crippling lack of firepower behind the scrum was on full display once again – they crossed the whitewash through Simon Webster in the dying moments but by that point Italy had already won.
“Problems still remain with our attack and go-forward. We created opportunities but didn’t take them once they arose. And there was a huge turnover of ball – you can’t do that if you want to win internationals,” said Williams.
The Scottish forwards won plenty of ball early on but then found themselves outgunned in the second half as Italy’s pack assumed full control, and Williams admitted his side need to beef up if they are to compete in the international arena.
“We were out-muscled by the Italians. We have to accept that and accept where we are as a team.
In terms of physicality and experience we’re behind other sides in the tournament and that proves costly away from home,” he said.
Williams raised suspicions over Ongaro’s try, claiming it should have been disallowed for a knock-on, and took a swipe at the standard of refereeing in the Six Nations, but Kirwan had no problem with the officials.
He said: “It looked good from where I was sitting. I’ve been reasonably happy with the level of refereeing in the tournament to date. There were a few calls which could have gone our way but I have few complaints.”
Italy face Ireland and Wales in the remaining two matches and Kirwan believes today’s result was crucial as they look to put further distance between themselves and bottom place.
“I’m really happy because we worked hard and deserved to win. I told the lads at half-time that we needed to be more offensive and courageous – and we were. This victory is very important for the players because it shows what they can do,” he said.