Italy rugby

Italy take on Scotland in the Six Nations at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Where to Watch Live

Italy v Scotland is live on BBC One and BBC One HD from 1:30pm (GMT) on Saturday 21 February. Live commentary is on BBC Radio 5 Live. Highlights are available on the BBC Red Button from 9:30pm.

Preview

The two strugglers of the Six Nations meet in Rome without a point to their name on Saturday afternoon and it isn't a particularly unusual scenario for these two. Scotland and Italy have finished as the bottom two sides in five of the last six incarnations of the competition and morale in the highlands is particularly low after Scott Johnson's side suffered the ignominy of becoming the first home side to fail to score in a Six Nations game as they were pummelled 20-0 at the hands of England.

A loss for either side is all but likely see them confined to the wooden spoon by the end of end of the championship, but with renewed debate over the participation of both sides in future championships, an entertaining scrap could emerge on a day where most focus will be on the afternoon's later fixture.

What the Coaches say

Scott Johnson:

"There is no doubt, we would take a win. It would be good for the guys but it won't be the end of all our ills either. I keep talking about it, we want consistency in this team.

"That's one of my issues with Scottish rugby. We seem to settle for these little peaks and then the troughs. Yes, a win would be great for morale, but let's not delude ourselves, we have to do it more often."

Jacques Brunel:

"Last year we conceded 34 points at Murrayfield, that's something we have to take into consideration.

"Recent results haven't been going Scotland's way, but they're one of the teams we seem to have most difficulty with.

"They have character and always play with determination. They will be tough opponents."

Teams:

Italy:

15-McLean, 14-Esposito, 13-Campagnaro, 12-Garcia, 11-Sarto; 10-Allan, 9-Gori; 1-Di Marchi, 2-Ghiraldini, 3-Castrogiovanni, 4-Geldenhuys, 5-Furno, 6-Zanni, 7-Barbieri, 8-Parisse (captain).

Replacements: 16-Giazzon, 17-Aguero, 18-Cittadini, 19-Bortolami, 20-Derbyshire, 21-Botes, 22-Orquera, 23-Iannone

Scotland:

15-Hogg, 14-Seymour, 13-Dunbar, 12-Scott, 11-Lamont, 10-Weir, 9-Laidlaw (captain); 1-Grant, 2-Lawson, 3-Low, 4-Gray, 5-Hamilton, 6-Wilson, 7-Fusaro, 8-Beattie.

Replacements: 16-Ford, 17-Dickinson, 18-Cross, 19-Swinson, 20-Denton, 21-Cusiter, 22-Taylor, 23-Evans

Italy Scotland Six Nations