Italy v Scotland

It's hard to be sure what to write about this match without it sounding incredibly rude.

Italy always have a somewhat limited game-plan and this time was the same. They generally execute within those limits pretty well. Scotland, however, on a hard pitch in the early Italian Spring sunshine seemed not to have a clue. It wasn't a case of Italy dragging them into an arm-wrestle so much as Scotland thinking that Italy would be easy to crack and not really trying.

It has to be said that, overall, Italy deserved to win. Although they stayed safe for most of the match, the real moments of ambition almost all came from Italy and their try came from a combination of a 10-12 scissors that was executed at speed and close to the defensive line making it work really well, followed by Italian players running good supporting lines. It was a move that Graham Henry would have been proud to see his All Blacks execute - although he'd be rather worried if it was the only good move in the game!

It's hard to be sure from one match but you would have to say that Italy are starting to look like a side with defensive structure and maturity, which you might expect, combined with the ability to execute quality attacking moves on occasion. If they can add some of that flair more often and with a bit more skill and/or luck they will develop into a side that can challenge in that tier that the good Northern Hemisphere sides are occupying. The big 3 from down South will still be too much for them, but don't be surprised if they beat England, Ireland and France, at home at least, in the next few years, as well as beating up on Scotland more regularly and Wales if they slip a little too.

Wither away Scotland though? They're defensively sound MOST of the time - but inflexibly so. That inability to adapt screwed them against Wales with the yellow cards, and I think screwed them this week when the attack came in a way they didn't expect. You can argue that good defence wins matches - if you let them score less points than you do, you win after all - but Wales, France, Ireland, now Italy, certainly New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Argentina in a good year - and increasingly after they join the tri nations - are all good enough to unpick defences, in the cases of some of those sides almost at will. Scotland will, if they don't improve their flexibility in defence and even more their ability to score points in attack become the perennial Wooden Spoons - a proud nation in decline.