Player Ratings: Scotland v Italy

Player Ratings: Scotland v Italy

Following Scotland's bonus point win over Italy, we rank every starting player out of a possible 10. Scotland was excellent at Murrayfield but struggled to keep the Italians out when they went down a man in the latter stages of the game. 

Head Coach Gregor Townsend rang the changes early with a number of the substitutes slipping off tackles which saw Scotland concede three tries in the final 10 minutes. 

Here are our ratings:

1. Allan Dell - 6

Struggled at times against a strong Italian pack but got the job done in that department.


2. Stuart McInally - 7.5

Like Dell, he got the job done at scrum time and lineout time. Made 9 carries and 10 tackles but misses out on a rating of 8 for a silly penalty he gave away in the Italian 22.


3. WP Nel - 6 

Got the job done at scrum time and was good at the breakdown. Had a real front row moment when he went in for a clean instead of staying upright to receive a pass. 

4. Ben Toolis - 7.5

Ran superb support lines, one of which resulted in a try for Chris Harris. Toolis was great at lineout time and got stuck into the rucks. 

5. Grant Gilchrist -8.5

Filled Jonny Gray's void brilliantly. He hit double digits in both the carries and tackle departments and was agrresive at the breakdown. 

6. Sam Skinner - n/a

Was taken off in the 12th minute with an injury. 

Replacement: Josh Strauss - 8

Made a few great tackles and came up with a super offload for Chris Harris' try. 

7. Jamie Ritchie - 7.5

Ritchie made a crucial break in Kinghorn's hattrick try. He got stuck in on defence making 15 tackles and came up with a turnover.

8. Ryan Wilson - 7

Super on attack making over 50 running metres from 15 carries and completed two offloads.

9. Greig Laidlaw - 8

An excellent 57 minutes from the veteran halfback. He controlled the game wonderfully but had one head-scratching moment in the first half when he chipped the ball over the last defender instead of giving it to Seymour in support. Overall he was great with the boot and his passes were crisp and accurate as was his decision making.

10. Finn Russell - 9

Another stellar performance from the Racing 92 man. He sent a brilliant cross-kick into the path of Blair Kinghorn for his first try before his linked up play got Kinghorn in for his second. 

His exits were good and he combined well with Sam Johnson who was on debut. 

11. Blair Kinghorn - 9

Kinghorn timed his run perfectly to score off Russel's cross kick in the first half. He went on to complete his hattrick in fantastic style. 

Kinghorn beat 6 defenders, assisted a try, made three clean breaks and racked up over 90 running metres.

12. Sam Johnson - 7

A debut he can be more than proud of. He operated well as a first receiver and was a safe ball carrier. He beat 6 defenders making 22 running metres and made 11 of his 13 attempted tackles.

13. Huw Jones - 6.5

Not a vintage performance from Jones but far from a poor one. He ran some testing lines and beat one defender. He was taken off just before the hour mark.

14. Tommy Seymour -  6.5

Another Scottish player that ran superb support lines. Was often right on the shoulder of the ball carrier who made a break and finished the game with 40 running metres. Was found wanting on defence in the closing stages of the game.

15. Stuart Hogg - 8.5

A classic Stuart Hogg performance from the back. He made metres with ease and beat 4 defenders. He scored a try, came up with a try assist and was harshly denied a second try. 

Latest News