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Seesaw match Six Nations: Scotland edges Italy 23-19 as Hodge stars
Updated: Sunday March 18, 2001 10:52 AM
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) -- Duncan Hodge kicked six penalties and prop forward Tom Smith scored a try as Scotland edged Italy 23-19 in a see-sawing Six Nations game on Saturday to guarantee that the Italians will finish last for the second season in a row. The Italians led 10-6 and 13-9 to remind the Scots of last season's result in Rome when Italy marked its championship debut with a victory. But the Scottish comeback before some 60,700 fans at Murrayfield means that Brad Johnstone' Italian team has lost eight games since then and has no points from four matches this season. The Scots now have three points from four games but stay next to last because of a 43-35 Welsh victory over France at the Stade the France. The game was only 34 seconds old when Hodge gave the Scots the lead with a drop goal and he made it 6-0 in the 20th minute with a 35-meter penalty after a spell of Scottish pressure. But the Italians it back to go ahead with a converted Mauro Bergamasco try in the 29th minute. The flank forward collected the ball in his own half wide on the left and outpaced two Scottish backs with his speed down wing for the try which Diego Domenguez converted for a 7-6 lead.
Mazentini replaced Filippo Frati at scrum half 10 minutes before the break before Dominguez kicked the Italians four points ahead with a 45-meter penalty. Lock forward Stuart Grimes was held just short of the Italian line after another spell of strong Scottish pressure in the last few minutes of the first half but Hodge cut the lead to one point early in the second period with a close range penalty awarded for offside. Dominguez reestablished the four-point advantage with another angled but close range kick but the Italians were reduced to 14-man when back row Carlo Checchinato was sent to the sinbin for 10 minutes for repeated foul play and Hodge kicked the resulting penalty to again cut the lead to one point. With Checchinato still off the field, Hodge pulled an angled penalty wide but the Scote went ahead when Martin Leslie charged through the Italian forwards and, in the resulting ruck, prop Tom Smith rolled over the line to touch the ball down. Hodge missed the conversion attempt and the Scots led 17-13 with 23 minutes to go. But Dominguez reduced that to a one point lead with a 35-meter penalty and then put the Italians back in front with his fifth successful kick, this time from 40. The lead changed for the fourth time when Hodge kicked a close range penalty to make it 20-19 to the home team with 14 minutes to go. The last few minutes were end-to-end before Hodge opened up a four-point lead for the Scots with a 25-meter penalty -- his sixth successful kick -- four minutes from the end. Lineups: Scotland -- Chris Paterson; James Craig, Gregor Townsend, John Leslie, Kenny Logan; Duncan Hodge, Bryan Redpath; Tom Smith, Gordon Bulloch, Mattie Stewart, Scott Murray, Stuart Grimes, Martin Leslie, Budge Pountney (captain), Simon Taylor. Italy -- Cristian Stoica; Massimiliano Perziano, Walter Pozzebon, Manuel Dallan, Luca Martin; Diego Dominguez, Filippo Frati; Franco Properzi Curti, Alessandro Moscardi (captain), Andrea Lo Cicero, Andrea Gritti, Wilhelmus Visser, Carlo Checchinato, Mauro Bergamasco, Aaron Persico. Referee -- Joel Dume, France.
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