Scotland's wretched run in the Under-20s Six Nations continued with 22-10 loss to Italy in Edinburgh. With just one victory in the tournament since 2021, the Scots struck first at The Hive, with Billy Allen scoring from a maul.

Italy gave Scotland a second-half fright but the fast feet of Darcy Graham and a Huw Jones hat-trick meant that Gregor Townsend’s side had their revenge after last year’s defeat in Rome. It was a blistering start from Scotland,

Scotland avoid painful Italian deja vu to launch Six Nations title bid - Scotland 31-19 Italy: Scotland were stunned by the Azzurri last year and held off a fightback this time to claim a bonus-point

Huw Jones came to the fore in the absence of fellow centre Sione Tuipulotu as his hat-trick helped Scotland fend off another Italian comeback to open their Guinness Six Nations campaign with a 31-19 win at Murrayfield.

Scotland have hope of mounting a Six Nations title challenge as they embark on a fresh campaign against Italy. While optimism has been punctured somewhat by a string of untimely injuries, Gregor Townsend’s settled squad are confident that they can build on their development over the last few years and back up big performances to challenge for a long-awaited title.