Six Nations 2026: Scotland must show we have improved against Italy, says captain Sione Tuipolo

It has been a long time since Scotland had an easy day against the Italians. Last season, the Scots saw one of their trademark wobblies at Murrayfield, going from 14-0 to 19-19. They pulled themselves together on the day to win by 12 points.

We know all about Roma last time out, and in 2023 in Edinburgh, Italy faced a roar under the Scottish goalposts in the final minutes while trailing by just five points.

The Scots escaped that sticky spot too, turning the ball over and going the distance to score in the final to add some shine to the scoreline.

The final attempt was the third of Blair Kinghorn’s hat-trick. In fact, he made three attempts on two separate occasions against the Azzurri, but this personal record did not save him from being excluded from the 23rd round this time.

The back three of Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Doohan van der Merwe were usurped by the impressive form of Tom Jordan, Jamie Dobbie and Kyle Steyn.

Some bold calls from coach Gregor Townsend, but it speaks to the strength Scotland have in this area that they are able to leave three British and Irish Lions out of the starting line-up. Only Graham will get a chance to make an impact off the bench.

“At least since I’ve been here, those three have been playing in most of the games I’ve played for Scotland, so I think it will be a bit different there,” Tuiboto said.

“But we’ve been training together for the last two weeks and I’ll be playing for Glasgow week in and week out. This time Kyle and Dube have been given the opportunity to wear those positions, and Tommy Jordan.

“I will support them as much as I can. I believe in them with all my heart. I know what they can do in big matches, and this is a big match for us on Saturday.”