Check out Blair Kinghorn's hat-trick score
Let’s call it the late, late show. So easily, Italy could have pulled off a famous victory in Edinburgh, but somehow, some way, the Murrayfield crowd saw an end-to-end Scotland bonus point try with the 80 minutes up. Phew.
“It was scary towards the end there,” said player of the match Jack Dempsey post match. Many Scottish fans will have been watching behind the couch. But it looks likely that the bonus-point win will have secured third in the Six Nations table, and the last score was a thriller.
With it straight-razor close with just over a minute left, it was 19-14 in Scotland’s favour but with Italy hammering away. After an error, Scotland had a scrum – as BBC Scotland commentator Peter Wright put it, “biggest scrum of the season.”
With a shoulder up, and then Italy going down, it was advantage Scotland. They should have put the ball out into touch? Well, this team had a go…
Sub nine Ali Price pulled right, and hit fly-half Blair Kinghorn (moved to full-back by that point), who hit Duhan van der Merwe. The giant wing skipped away from one tackle, and then tearing towards the final man, spun it back to Kinghorn who streaked behind the posts for the fourth score – and his third of the day.
A hat-trick for Blair Kinghorn
After the match, captain Jamie Ritchie praised Kinghorn for his showing. With Finn Russell out injured, it was a slight surprise that Konghorn was moved back to ten, but he was in scoring form against Italy, while van der Merwe scored a try described by Chris Paterson as “the best aerial finish I’ve ever seen”.
However, Italy gave themselves a real chance to win and if not for individual errors – and a little more ruthlessness – they could have won this.
At 19-6, Scotland should have pulled away, but the Azzurri went about punishing Scotland. Garbisi was chipping away at the scoreboard with penalty kicks, and by the time Tommy Allan went over for a score, it was the Italians with the momentum. They were stealing ball with regularity and looking to play with it.
However, when it came down to the last chance, more errors reared their head. It could have finished with a losing bonus for them.
Instead, Price and pals decided to have a go. And what a score we were treated to, with a clock already red.
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