Scotland thump Italy 34-10 in six Nations

An 80-metre interception try by Stuart Hogg capped Scotland’s 34-10 win over Italy in six Nations rugby on Saturday, bringing the visitors back to earth after their defeat of France.

The fullback brought the Murrayfield crowd to their feet with one of four tries scored by the effervescent back division of the Scots, who ended a wretched run of four straight losses to revive their campaign.

Centres Matt Scott and Sean Lamont and winger Tim Visser also went over while Greig Laidlaw kicked flawlessly for 14 points as the error-prone Azzurri were blown away, a week after producing one of their greatest displays to beat the pre-tournament favourites.

This match typically decides the wooden spoon but the Italians’ 23-18 victory over France added a new dimension to their trip to Edinburgh, with some pundits saying they could even challenge for a top-three finish for the first time.

However, they were no match for a fired-up Scottish team desperate to make up for the 38-18 loss to England the previous weekend, with Italy’s only try coming from flanker Alessandro Zanni late on.

Tigerish in defence, Scotland brought a clinical edge to play behind the scrum that has rarely been seen in recent years.