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1164.txt
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Scotland v Italy (Sat)
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Saturday, 26 February
1400 GMT
BBC1, Five Live and this website
Victory for the Azzurri in Rome last year saw Scotland end their campaign without a victory. And the pressure is on Scotland coach Matt Williams as he seeks a first Six Nations victory at the eighth attempt. Italy have lost both their opening games at home to Ireland and Wales, but travel to Edinburgh with high hopes.
Their coach John Kirwan has warned his side they must eradicate the errors that blighted their loss to Wales however or risk suffering a third successive defeat. "If the defeat against Wales has taught us anything, it's that at this level we can't make any mistakes," Kirwan said. "In the Six Nations, every error you make will come at a high price. "We have to be aggressive for 80 minutes, keep calm in every situation and display great maturity on the pitch.
"It will be fundamental to keep cool in the difficult moments - in the key situations of the game." Kirwan has recalled the experienced Cristian Stoica at centre and drafted in David dal Maso at open-side after star flanker Mauro Bergamasco was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Scotland have also made two changes, Simon Webster replacing Simon Danielli on the wing and Simon Taylor returning for his first Test in a year, for injured flanker Jason White. Taylor's recovery from a serious knee injury is a major boost to Scottish hopes. "He is one of the world-class players in the tournament and you want them in your team," acknowledged Williams.
Despite a record of only two victories from 14 Tests, Williams insists he is revelling in the pressure. "I actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach," he said, optimistic despite opening defeats to France and Ireland. "We were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat Italy too," he added.
: C Paterson; S Webster, A Craig, H Southwell, S Lamont; D Parks, C Cusiter; T Smith, G Bulloch (capt), G Kerr; S Grimes, S Murray; S Taylor, J Petrie, A Hogg.
R Russell, B Douglas, N Hines, J Dunbar, M Blair, G Ross, B Hinshelwood.
R de Marigny; Mirco Bergamasco, C Stoica, A Masi, L Nitoglia; L Orquera, A Troncon; A Lo Cicero, F Ongaro, M Castrogiovanni; S Dellape, M Bortolami (capt); A Persico, D Dal Maso, S Parisse.
G Intoppa, S Perugini, CA del Fava, S Orlando, P Griffen, R Pedrazzi, KP Robertson.