Greig Laidlaw: 'Fitness of Scotland players will be key in Italy clash'

Scotland scrum half Greig Laidlaw believes that his side's fitness could prove the difference in their Six Nations meeting against Italy this coming weekend.

Both sides are still looking to get off the mark in the competition, having lost their opening two games.

Having finished strongly in defeats against France and Wales, Laidlaw remains confident that Scotland can pick up that elusive first win if they can match those intensity levels in Edinburgh on Saturday.

"If the game is close with say 60, 65 minutes gone I am confident we can pull clear," he is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "Fitness is a big part of the game for us because the Italians are a big team and it will be good to move them around.

"If we can play with speed, get quick ball, lessen the number of rucks we are having and run them around the park we can go full out for the 80 minutes. Hopefully when we are still going they will run out of steam before we do."

Scotland Rugby Union chiefs are confident that they are on course to beat the previous Murrayfield attendance of 60,708 for the potential wooden spoon decider.