Scotland vs. Italy: 5 Key Battles in International Match

Scotland and Italy resume hostilities this weekend in their second consecutive meeting.

Last week’s 16-12 win in Turin for the Scots bore more significance than most other World Cup warm-up results, given it avenged the defeat to the Azzurri in the Six Nations and also handed Vern Cotter’s men their first win of 2015.

Former Scots skipper Mike Blair wrote on BBC:

It did not come easily and you wouldn't say that the last five minutes were exactly a master class in closing games out but it was a win and Scotland will see this as a building block - the monkey is off the back and they have their first win of 2015.

And so the 1991 semi-finalists will now look to build on that hard-fought result with a more polished display on home turf before they meet France in their final warm-up.

Cottter has reinstated several big names to his squad having had a look at a number of fringe players in their first two hit-outs, so we may well see a side that resembles closely his first choice for the crunch pool games to come.

Italy, who have named their party for the tournament already, need to find some rhythm this weekend. They have to take on France in their first game of the tournament and can ill afford to be caught cold.

And so there is much to play for at Murrayfield this weekend. Let’s assess the key battles.

Saturday sees so-called "Bok Jock" WP Nel earn his first start for Scotland when he pulls on the No. 3 shirt to go up against wizened Azzurri campaigner Matias Aguero.

Nel is one of a clutch of South African-born players Scotland are looking to integrate into the national setup, per Lewis Stuart in the Herald.

Nel’s introduction as a replacement in the clash between these sides last week brought an upturn for the Scottish scrum, but Stuart explains this may have been to do with changes made at the same time by the opposition.

The front row change did coincide with a change of fortunes for the Scots in the tight, though, as Vern Cotter, the head coach pointed out later, the Italians changed their front row at about the same time. It would take a lot of analysis to work out whether Scotland really did get better or if it was just as case of the veterans Italy brought on no longer being up to the job.

So we will find out the true worth of Nel’s scrummaging ability this weekend when he gets the chance to play from the first whistle.

Aguero is a 34-cap international, so certainly has the edge in terms of experience over the newcomer, who will need to anchor the set piece to give skipper Greig Laidlaw clean ball to launch the Scotland back line.

Scrum-half Laidlaw is reinstated as skipper for this clash and will need a big performance to cement himself as the first-choice No. 9.

He is being pushed hard by Glasgow’s Henry Pyrgos, who was outstanding for the Pro 12 champions all season and scored the decisive try in last week's victory in Turin after replacing another young half-back, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne.

Pyrgos was credited with changing the game last week by Ruairidh Campbell of scottishrugbyblog.co.uk, who handed him a 7/10 mark and wrote:

Pyrgos combined well with Weir and Horne to increase the number of attacking opportunities available for Scotland. Good decision making resulted in the only try of the game, which he scored himself.

The Scottish No. 9 jersey carries a rich history with the likes of Gary Armstrong, Andy Nicol and Mike Blair all having skippered their country from that position, and Gloucester man Laidlaw has continued that tradition.

Coming under pressure from the youngsters Pyrgos and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is likely to bring the best out in the 29-year-old as he faces relative novice Palazzani, who has just nine caps to his name.

Scotland’s outside centre Mark Bennett suffered a shoulder injury in his country’s last Six Nations clash with Ireland and missed Glasgow’s run to the Pro 12 title as a result.

He plays on Saturday for the first time since that knock and faces the man who was arguably the find of the 2014 Six Nations.

Michele Campagnaro scored two impressive tries against Wales in 2014, and his form since has earned a move to Exeter Chiefs, with whom he’ll link up after the World Cup. Bennett’s shoulder is sure to be tested should Campagnaro look to take him on.

Ryan Wilson ends a six-month ban from international rugby after an assault conviction, per the Herald, and has to face 88-cap veteran Alessandro on his return.

Former captain Mike Blair has highlighted the tackle area around the breakdown in his BBC column as an element for Vern Cotter’s side to tighten up on this weekend.

With the coach labelling Wilson as the squad’s “fastest forward,” the responsibility will be on the Glasgow flanker’s shoulders to ensure Italy’s big ball carriers are stopped before they can bust the gain line.

The 31-year-old Zanni is retained in the same Italian back row that took the field last week and is by far the most experienced of the trio, with No. 7 Francesco Minto making his 18th appearance and No. 8 Samuela Vunisa earning just his sixth.

Ross Ford becomes Scotland’s most capped forward this weekend and is up against another player with vast experience in Leicester’s 76-cap hooker Ghiraldini.

Securing set-piece possession will play a major part in any success these sides have in the World Cup, and so both men’s lineout throwing will come under the microscope at Murrayfield.

Further to that, Ford spearheads an all-Edinburgh front row on Saturday.

The trio of Alasdair Dickinson, Ford and WP Nel were praised for their impact when they were rolled on last week in the latter stages of the game, and they now have the chance to establish themselves as the first choice trio. The Herald’s Stuart Bathgate wrote:

Indeed, earlier this week, Alan Solomons, the Edinburgh coach, said he would be “shocked to his boots” if his three players were not selected as a unit.

Ford’s first priority is to ensure the lively Ghiraldini doesn’t outshine him on his 89th cap.