Scotland entertain Italy as Six Nations Super Saturday kicks off at Murrayfield this afternoon.
Gregor Townsend’s hosts have enjoyed a strong tournament, though could be forgiven for lamenting what might have been.
After dismissing old rivals England and Wales to open the tournament with successive wins for the first time since 1996, the Scots gave both France and Ireland very tough tests - though could not get the key moments to go in their favour in either match and ended up with a pair of frustrating if valiant defeats that put paid to any title hopes.
They are nevertheless strong favourites to see off Italy in Glasgow today and triumph comfortably in their last competitive outing before the autumn Rugby World Cup in France, with the Azzurri looking set for their 18th wooden spoon in total and eighth in a row for finishing bottom of the standings.
It’s not quite what Kiwi head coach Kieran Crowley wanted after an impressive 2022 in which Italy took major strides forward with historic wins over Wales and Australia, but despite a lack of victories in recent weeks his team have continued to show glimpses of real potential by running the likes of Ireland and France close.
How to watch Scotland vs Italy
TV channel: In the UK, Scotland vs Italy is being televised live on BBC One, with coverage starting from 12pm GMT ahead of a 12:30pm kick-off.
