Johnson seeking Scottish consistency

Scotland head coach Scott Johnson admits not even a victory over Italy this afternoon will cure the Dark Blues’ problems.

The Scots have suffered two painful defeats to Ireland and England as their miserable RBS 6 Nations campaign got off to the worst possible start. Theirmeeting with the victory-less Azzurri at the Stadio Olimpico could now settle who takes home the wooden spoon, but under-fire Johnson concedes not even a morale-boosting triumph in the Eternal City will guarantee that his side have turned the corner. He said: “There is no doubt, we would take a win. It would be good for the guys but it won’t be the end of all our ills either. I keep talking about it, we want consistency in this team. We could win ugly and everyone would feel good about themselves. But that is only a temporary measure. That’s one of my issues with Scottish rugby. We seem to settle for these little peaks and then the troughs. Yes, a win would be great for morale, but let’s not delude ourselves, we have to do it more often.”

However Italy captain Sergio Parisse insists he will not let his record-breaking run-out for the Azzurri distract him from beating Scotland. The 30-year-old flanker and team-mate Martin Castrogiovanni will both win their 104th caps at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, eclipsing the previous Italian record held by Andrea Lo Cicero.