Scotland have ensured a winning end to their 2023 Six Nations campaign with a hard-fought 26-14 triumph over Italy at Murrayfield this afternoon.
Blair Kinghorn - in for injured star man Finn Russell at 10 - scored a hat-trick against Italy for the second time in his Six Nations career, having also done so in 2019, although the last of those did not come until the clock went red, sealing the win for Scotland after some late Italian pressure.
The visitors were only five points short of their hosts and were camped just yards from the Scottish line in the dying stages as they looked to power over for a score which would have given them the chance of a famous victory, and a first of this year's Championship.
However, Scotland's defence held out and turned the ball over, before audaciously running it from deep inside their own 22 with clock ticking past 80, going the length of the pitch for Kinghorn to complete his hat-trick and clinch a bonus point.
The final scoreline makes the game look far more comfortable than it was for Gregor Townsend's side, leaving Italy rueing what might have been yet again in a tournament which has provided plenty of encouraging signs but yielded five frustrating defeats out of five and just a solitary losing bonus point.
Scotland, meanwhile, have all but secured third place with the bonus-point win, ending a Six Nations campaign with an overall winning record for the fifth time in the last seven editions.
Having produced surely the try of the tournament in round one against England, Duhan van der Merwe added another clip to his highlight reel with a magnificent, acrobatic finish in the corner in the first half, although Tommaso Allan penalties either side of that gave Italy a deserved lead.
Scotland spent a long time camped in the Italy 22 in the first half and, with the penalty count rising, the visitors were eventually reduced to 14 before Scotland finally went over for Kinghorn's first try.
Some more forward pressure resulted in Kinghorn's second early in the second half, but Allan touched down in the corner just past the hour mark and a Paolo Garbisi penalty shortly afterwards suddenly brought Italy to within five points.
Kieran Crowley's men then piled the pressure on in the closing stages and looked likely to get the try which would hand them just a second Six Nations win from their last 42 matches, until Scotland turned the ball over.
The stunning breakaway try then brought a thrilling conclusion to the match as Kinghorn took his personal points haul up to 21, condemning Italy to the Wooden Spoon for the eighth successive year and the 18th time from their 24 tournaments.
Barney Corkhill
