Italy v Scotland LIVE: Latest build-up and updates from Six Nations

Gregor Townsend is desperate to see Scotland hit their maximum performance levels over the next two weekends as they bid to secure a first top-two finish in the Six Nations era.

The Scots are second in the championship table – a point ahead of England and three above France – as they prepare for matches away to Italy this Saturday and Grand Slam-chasing Ireland the following week.

Townsend has seen his team defeat Wales and England while going agonisingly close to defeating the French, but he still feels they are yet to hit top gear for any sustained period.

Referee: Angus Gardner (Aus)

ARs: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Adam Leal (Eng)

TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SA)

Michele Lamaro believes Italy are steadily progressing but he will not be getting carried away by their spirited display away to France last time out until he sees evidence that they can back it up.

The Azzurri go into today’s clash buoyed by drawing 13-13 with Les Bleus in Lille a fortnight ago – and they would have pulled off an historic victory if Paolo Garbisi’s last-gasp penalty had not come back off a post.

However, captain Lamaro has endured enough false dawns while representing Italy to ensure he maintains a degree of caution amid the growing excitement that has played a part in 70,000 tickets being snapped up for the Stadio Olimpico clash.

“We managed to draw in France, but the previous week we had been on the floor after losing 36-0 to Ireland,” pointed out the Benetton back-rower.

“The perception is that one week we are heroes, the next we are a word that it’s probably better I don’t say.

“Those perceptions do not reflect reality. There are always going to be highs and lows in a team’s journey, but I believe we are heading in the right direction.

“We are growing little by little and we certainly have more chance of winning a game now than was the case two years ago or even last year.

“But we need to remember that before the game against Wales last year (a 29-17 home defeat), we were having more or less the same conversation.

“And then in the game, we saw that there were still many things that we needed to improve.

“It’s not something that happens overnight, we need to grow slowly and never get carried away, because every time we have got carried away and believed ourselves to be on the verge of taking that next step forward, we’ve always found ourselves with our face on the floor.

“If we want to be competitive and cause difficulties for other teams, we need to fight with everything that is in us and put the best version of ourselves on the field.

“That’s not always easy, because being at 100 per cent in every game is something that probably no athlete can ever achieve.

“But it’s when you get to a stage where you being at 95 per cent is enough to beat other teams, that’s when you start to achieve important results.

“We’re getting there. We’re heading in the right direction.”

With Sione Tuipulotu absent due to injury, Gregor Townsend hands Cameron Redpath a start outside of Bath teammate Finn Russell, while George Horne is picked at scrum half with Ben White rested and out of the 23 entirely. Andy Christie gets the nod on the blindside after impressing as a replacement and for Saracens this season, and it is a a bulky bench with six forwards ready to provide punch if required.

Scotland XV: 1 Pierre Schoeman, 2 George Turner, 3 Zander Fagerson; 4 Grant Gilchrist, 5 Scott Cummings; 6 Andy Christie, 7 Rory Darge (co-capt.), 8 Jack Dempsey; 9 George Horne, 10 Finn Russell (co-capt.); 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 12 Cameron Redpath, 13 Huw Jones, 14 Kyle Steyn; 15 Blair Kinghorn.

Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Matt Fagerson; 22 Ali Price, 23 Kyle Rowe.

Former England squad member Louis Lynagh is set to make his Italy debut on the wing as he prepares to move to Benetton from Harlequins at the end of the season. Tommaso Menoncello returns to the centres after shifting to the back three for the draw with France, while Sebastian Negri is a significant returnee on the blindside.

Simone Ferrari replaces Giosue Zilocchi at tighthead in a forward pack full of carrying potential with number eight Lorenzo Cannone back on the bench after injury.

Italy XV: 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 3 Simone Ferrari; 4 Niccolo Cannone, 5 Federico Ruzza; 6 Sebastian Negri, 7 Michele Lamaro (capt.), 8 Ross Vintcent; 9 Martin Page-Relo, 10 Paolo Garbisi; 11 Monty Ioane, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 14 Louis Lynagh; 15 Ange Capuozzo.

Replacements: 16 Gianmarcu Lucchesi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosue Zilocchi, 19 Andrea Zambonin, 20 Lorenzo Cannone; 21 Stephen Varney, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Federico Mori.

Kick off is creeping ever closer in Rome. Let’s take a closer look at the two line-ups this afternoon….

One intriguing little subplot today will be the full-back battle between Ange Capuozzo and Blair Kinghorn, now club colleagues of course at Toulouse. The Top 14 club have a frankly ludicrous four first-choice international 15s in their ridiculous squad – France’s Thomas Ramos and Argentina’s Juan Cruz Mallia are the others.

Capuozzo and Kinghorn are very different in stature but equally devastating in the open field, Capuozzo showing off his electricity and intelligence with that try against France a fortnight ago and Kinghorn making a strong return from injury against England. You’d imagine Scotland, whose kick metres are up massively in this championship, will try to test an Italian back three that includes a debutant who has only been in camp for a couple of weeks – Capuozzo will have to marshall the backfield shrewdly.

There is every chance of Scottish history being made in Rome this weekend. Duhan Van Der Merwe moved within one of Scotland’s record try-scorer Stuart Hogg when he scored a match-defining hat-trick against England at Murrayfield last time out. A single score will be enough to take the South Africa-born wing level with Hogg on 27, but in his current form – five tries in his last three Six Nations matches – few would bet against him doing enough at the Stadio Olimpico to break the record outright. Hogg, incidentally, is set to be watching on from the stand after completing a fundraising cycle to the Italian capital in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie charity.

When is Italy vs Scotland?

Italy vs Scotland is due to kick off at 2.15pm GMT on Saturday 9 March at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage on the channel from 1.30pm GMT. A live stream will be available via ITVX.

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There is an element of freshness to the Scotland team this weekend as Townsend has handed opportunities to three players who have been regular squad members in recent seasons but who are not accustomed to starting in the dark blue. Burgeoning Bath centre Cam Redpath makes his fourth Scotland start in place of the injured Sione Tuipulotu, Glasgow scrum-half George Horne has been handed his first start since the 2019 World Cup as Toulon’s Ben White gets the weekend off to rest, while in-form Saracens back-rower Andy Christie has finally been rewarded with first international start two years after making his debut at home to France.