The 'Scots come into this one as heavy favourites with the bookmakers but will need to be wary of an Italian outfit that managed to give them a real run for their money when the two sides met in Round 5 of this year's 6 Nations.
Italy v Scotland
Saturday 29 July
Murrayfield Stadium
16:15
To Win *Odds TBA
Italy | Draw | Scotland
This game will be a very interesting one from a Scottish selection perspective with the ‘Scots still having two games against France and a fixture against Georgia before the World Cup kicks off in September. Does Grego Townsend send out a B squad packed to the brim with fringe players giving an opportunity for a few of them to bolt into the World Cup squad or does he use his first stringers and try and build up a bit of momentum for the showpiece in France?
I suspect the Scottish head coach will go with the former this weekend and field an understrength side which is a bit of a gamble considering they only beat the Italians by 12 points in March. Needs must though, and with little time to France ’23, squad depth is crucial.
While Scotland may well look to experiment here, I think the Iitalains will field as close to a full strength squad as possible. While they did decently enough during the 2023 6 Nations, they failed to win a game and they would like to enter the World Cup with a couple wins under their belts.
In terms of recent results between the sides, Italy last beat Scotland in 2015 with the ‘Scots winning the next 14 clashes between the sides. Three of the last five games between the sides have seen Scotland win by less than 13 points.
I fancy the Azzurri to keep things within the handicap this weekend especially considering both sides haven’t player an international in over three months.
Verdict: Italy on the plus
