Tries by Borderers Lana Skeldon and Chloe Rollie help Scotland’s women claim first win in Italy this century

They’d lost every other game in the interim bar one, a 6-6 draw in Rome 14 years ago, but they ended that winless streak in Parma at the weekend with their second victory of this year’s Women’s Six Nations, by 17-10, lifting head coach Bryan Easson’s side up to third in the table.

Skeldon’s 35th-minute opener and Rollie’s 69th-minute touchdown sandwiched another try by Biggar’s Emma Orr on 63, with Helen Nelson adding one conversion.

Their tries took both Skeldon and Rollie into treble figures for international points scored, the former with 103 and the latter on 100.

The Italians’ only try was scored by Alyssa D’Inca on 32 minutes, with Beatrice Rigoni kicking a penalty and conversion.

Hawick’s Skeldon, replaced by Elis Martin two minutes ahead of full-time, and Jedburgh’s Rollie were among three Borderers in the Scots’ starting line-up, along with Lisa Thomson, also from Hawick.

“It was scrappy,” said Easson. “It wasn’t the best performance. However, we executed when we needed to.

“We would have lost this game a year ago, two years ago.

“You learn how to win, and how to build a lead, and we did that. That was probably the pleasing thing – we knew how to dig out a win, although it wasn’t a brilliant performance.”

The 50-year-old is due to name his match-day squad to play Ireland away in Belfast this Saturday tomorrow, with kick-off at 2.30pm, to conclude their campaign but Rollie won’t be in it as she had a late yellow card for foul play upgraded to a red on review, triggering a three-match suspension also ruling her out of two Loughborough Lightning games next month.

Scotland go into that finale on eight points from two fixtures, two places and two points better off than their hosts this weekend at the Kingspan Stadium.

Hooker Skeldon, 30, is now on 69 caps and full-back Rollie, 28, on 65, with centre Thomson, 26, on 59.