Scotland 33 Italy 25
Scotland edged out Italy 33-25 in an entertaining match at Murrayfield this afternoon to seal fourth place in the Six Nations Championship.
Tries by Jason White, James McLaren, Kenny Logan and ChrisPaterson gave Scotland their second victory of the campaign andleft Italy fifth in the standings with one win, over Wales, andfour defeats.
Italy took an early lead when fullback Mirco Bergamascocrashed over the line but the Scots hit back through tries byWhite and McLaren.
Two Paterson penalties gave the hosts a 16-8 lead but theItalians rallied with a try by flyhalf Ramiro Pez who deceivedthe Scottish defence with a neat dummy before crashing over theline.
Winger Logan then dived over from close range after taking aquick tapped penalty, and Paterson's conversion extendedScotland's lead to 23-15 at halftime.
Pez reduced the deficit to 23-18 with a penalty beforePaterson produced a sublime bit of skill as he sped down theright wing, chipping the ball over Bergamasco before touchingdown.
Italy replacement forward Scott Palmer crashed over fromclose range to bring the visitors hope, but Paterson's penaltyin the dying minutes gave Scotland breathing space and they hungon for a hard-fought victory.