Italy captain Sergio Parisse was left to rue what might have been after his side suffered a last-gasp defeat to Scotland at the quadrangular tournament in South Africa.
The Azzurri came into the match after suffering heavy defeats to the Springboks and Samoa but they were far improved against the Scots, against who they lost 34-10 during this year’s RBS 6 Nations.
Leonardo Sarto scored an early try for Italy, who also managed a penalty try and 19 points from the boot of Alberto Di Bernardo, who crucially missed one of his six penalties.
But despite heading into the final stages in a winning position, a late try from Alasdair Strokosch, expertly converted by Greig Laidlaw, denied Italy and handed Scotland a narrow 30-29 victory.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Parisse and co, who made significant strides during the RBS 6 Nations, chalked up impressive home wins over France and Ireland.
“The way we lost is really disappointing,” said Parisse. “Once again we dominated the scrums, but we have to improve in other areas.”
