Italy Women 6 - 6 Scotland Women: Gill strikes twice as distaff team fight back

TWO second-half penalties from Murrayfield Wanderers' Sarah Gill ensured the Scots returned from Italy unbeaten.

The Italians capitalised on a somewhat lacklustre opening from their visitors to lead 6-0 at the break but the Scots, after making changes, found renewed conviction on their return and dictated the pace to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Gill, a replacement for Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars) at half-time, slotted the first of her penalty kicks after 53 minutes and followed up less than 20 minutes later with another successful attempt, to draw the scores level.

Head coach Gary Parker said: "The first 40 minutes were poor and we didn't get into the game at all. However we responded to that with probably the best 20 minutes we've had, at the start of the second half, moving the ball well and executing good moves.

"Stephanie (Johnston] made her international debut, too. She came through the Academy and the A programme – you never know how soon the call may come to join the national side and to be thrown in on the wing like she was, she did really well."

The first score of the game came from Italy's No 10, Schiavon, with a penalty that found the gap between the posts after 11 minutes, followed by another successful attempt four minutes before half-time. The Italians missed a penalty in the last 20 minutes but the Scots were left disappointed not to come away with the win.

Parker added: "We faced a lot of challenges during the match. We lost our hooker early in the first half, both wingers went off injured at the same time but we managed to turn the game around at 6-0 down. After three Six Nations games we've posted just one defeat, but this was an opportunity missed and we're disappointed with a draw."

The Scots now await England in this year's competition having beaten France 10-8 in their first game and then lost 28-12 to Wales. Their final game is away to Ireland, in the build-up to this year's Women's Rugby World Cup.

SCOTLAND: Celia Hawthorn (Edinburgh University); Lynsey Douglas (London Wasps), Lucy Millard (Team Northumbria), Veronica Fitzpatrick (RHC Cougars), Victoria Blakebrough (Richmond); Tanya Griffith (RHC Cougars), Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars); Heather Lockhart (Hillhead / Jordanhill), Sarah-Louise Walker (Watsonians), Gillian McCord (RHC Cougars), Louise Moffat (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lindsay Wheeler (Team Northumbria), Lynne Reid (RHC Cougars, capt), Susie Brown (Richmond), Donna Kennedy (Worcester). Replacements: Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers) (on for Walker 30min), Beth Dickens (Murrayfield Wanderers) (on for McCord, 72min), Natalya Macholla (Stirling County), Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers) (on for Reid, 76mins), Sarah Gill (Murrayfield Wanderers) (on for Dalgliesh, 40min), Laura Steven (Murrayfield Wanderers), Stephanie Johnston (Hillhead/Jordanhill) (on for Douglas, 30min).