Six Nations, Scotland-Italy 31-19

It starts with a defeat and with zero points in the standings the path of Italrugby in the Men’s Six Nations 2025: a match in which the Azzurri show two clearly distinguishable faces, a negative one in the first 30 minutes and in the last 20, a much better one, but not enough to get a better result, in the middle phase of the match.

The start è shocking to say the least: on 4’Rory Darge scores a try after a very long Scottish multiphase action, which began with a Blue error on the other side of the field. Finn Russel converts for 7-0. Barely five minutes pass and this time è Huw Jones smashes the ball on the ground after crossing the goal line, taking advantage of another Italy’s defensive laxity for 12-0, which becomes 14-0 after Russell’s extra points from the pitch.

Italy tries to regroup and scores, with Tommaso Allan, two free kicks on 21′ and 23′ that make it 14-6. The inertia of the match seems to change in favor of the men coached by Gonzalo Quesada but yet another ball-in-hand error allows the Scots to score the third goal, with Ben White, at 29′. Finn Russell does not convert, the score è 19-6, which becomes 19-9 at halftime thanks to another square by Allan.

In the resumption, the Azzurri fullback signed the fourth kick out of four attempts, bringing the Azzurri within breaking distance at 44′ two minutes later a mistake by Russell literally handed the ball to Nacho Brex, who intercepted and went under the posts for the goal that, after the usual Allan’s conversion, made it 19-19 and the impression that Italy could even take the lead.

It is, however, a mere illusion: in fact, Huw Jones is back in the limelight, scoring his second personal goal at 61′ (with Russell’s transformation) and scoring a hat-trick at 67′ (this time without transformation): è 31-19, and despite the efforts of the last ten minutes the result does not change anymore. Scotland thus won four points for victory and a bonus point for scoring four tries, Italy went home with zero points (at least one would have come from losing by 7 or fewer points).

Scotland also wins the 2025 edition of the Cuttitta Cup, contested precisely between the national team of the Thistle and Italy each year in memory of Massimo Cuttitta, an Italrugby player as well as, later, coach of Scotland’s forwards, who passed away in 2021. Next match for the Azzurri on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 3:15 p.m., in Rome against Wales, defeated Friday night with a clean sweep 43-0 by France.

Udinese-Venice 3-2

It all happened in a very intense second half, at the Bluenergy Stadium, between Udinese and Venezia: to come out on top, after risking to throw away the victory by getting a comeback from 2-0 to 2-2, was the Bianconeri team, which six minutes from 90′ scored with Iker Bravo the goal that earned the first success in the calendar year 2025.

After a rather flat first half, in which the injury of the Lagooners’ goalkeeper, Filip Stankovic, after 16′ (in his place is Joronen), the resumption begins with Udinese pressing on the accelerator and scoring twice within five minutes: at 47’Lucca took advantage of an imperfect exit by Joronen to deposit the ball into the net with the saucer, while at 52’è Lovric signed the 2-0, again after an inaccuracy of the Finnish goalkeeper.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s team, having suffered the double blowout, paradoxically woke up and first shortened the score at 64′ with Nicolussi Caviglia, with a great right-footed shot to the cross, then made it 2-2 at 78′ with Gytkyaer, who entered a quarter of an hour earlier in place of Oristanio, on the development of a corner kick.

The inertia seems all for Venezia but at 84’the cold shower arrives for the Lagunarians: a nice individual action by Solet and a ball for Iker Bravo (who entered at 65’in place of Alexis Sanchez), who d’outflanked the Venezia goalkeeper and thus put in a goal worth three points. Venezia no longer had the strength to fight back, Udinese won 3-2.

Monza-Hellas Verona 0-1

Hellas Verona wins in Monza 1-0. Against a team revolutionized in the’organic after the latest market transactions the scaligeri find the advantage after not even a quarter of an hour. Serdar finds no obstacles on the right lane and puts in the middle, Turati does not get there and Lekovic fails a save that would have the miraculous: the ball hit by the Serbian ends up in the goal.

The first fraction of the game does not offer then great emotions, which ends with the host formation on the minimum advantage: the hosts do really too little to worry Montipò. They restart without changes in Monza and with Niasse replacing Serdar in Hellas’Hellas. The newcomer has the good ball for 2-0 but concludes poorly just before Bocchetti, at 58’, removes Sensi and Kyriakopoulos to insert the’latest arrival Castrovilli and Martins.

At halftime Turati raises the white flag, giving way to Pizzignacco, who is immediately responsive on Niasse, then è Suslov to not materialize. On the other side to forget Urbanski’s conclusion while Martins is appreciated. Again Suslov wastes but Monza struggles so much to approach the opponent’s goal.

Turn of changes at’82’, with Bocchetti throwing both Petagna and Maric into the fray. The red-and-whites collect corners but never shoot on goal. The Verona wins.