Scotland began their Six Nations campaign with a tense 31-19 victory over Italy at Murrayfield, thanks to a hat-trick from centre Huw Jones.
Gregor Townsend’s side raced into an early 14-0 lead with quick tries from Rory Darge and Jones, before scrum-half Ben White added a third to make it 19-9 at halftime.
Italy stayed in the contest through Tommaso Allan’s kicking, and when Juan-Ignacio Brex intercepted Finn Russell’s pass for a converted try, the game was level at 19-19. However, a dazzling break from Darcy Graham set up Jones for his second try, and the centre completed his hat-trick shortly after, beating three defenders to restore Scotland’s lead.
