Huw Jones came to the fore in the absence of fellow centre Sione Tuipulotu as his hat-trick helped Scotland fend off another Italian comeback to open their Guinness Six Nations campaign with a 31-19 win at Murrayfield.
Much had been made of the injury to their influential captain in the build-up to the championship, but the Scots looked unaffected as they opened up a 14-0 advantage in the first 10 minutes and led 19-6 at the break through scores from Rory Darge, Jones and Ben White.
