Italy Six Nations hero says he preyed on Scotland 'disconnection' after bold team selection move

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend left out the old guard of wingers Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, as well as full-back Blair Kinghorn, and instead brought in Kyle Steyn, Jamie Dobie and Tom Jordan. It was the first time all three had been put together in a Six Nations match.

They were picked apart within the first ten minutes when Ignacio Brex spotted space in behind after Jordan had pushed up, and with Steyn out of position, Lynagh was able to sprint in and slide over in the corner.

In a post-match interview, Lynagh revealed that Italy had identified a potential weakness in Scotland’s wingers and full-back from a defensive perspective.

”We talked beforehand that it was the first time those three played together,” said Lynagh, “so there might be a bit of a disconnection. We didn't necessarily say, look for the backfield space. It just happened to open up there. We put the ball there, and luckily I scooped it up and scored it.

“It was a three-phase move, and we were always going to come down that side. The kick space just opened up for Nacho here, and luckily he saw me pointing and sat up, and I kind of just slid in. A bit of a winger's try, so it's pretty cool to get in the field in under 10 minutes.

“We worked really hard the last two weeks. We had a game plan coming into the game, and I thought we stuck to it, basically. We had a game plan for when it feels dry and it feels wet. As you can see, it's pretty wet, so I think we stuck to it really well. We managed the territory of the kicking game really well, and we came away with the win.”

The Italians now head to Dublin full of confidence for their match against Ireland next Saturday.