Italy value for the scrap

Scotland coach Frank Hadden's took a bold gamble last weekend to rest his players against New Zealand in front of home fans. He made this move so that his players would be fresh ahead of their crunch Pool C encounter with Italy in St Etienne. Punters in their droves complained about the lack of respect to the supporters that day, and the Edinburgh crowd looked on as Scotland's 'B' squad were on the wrong end of a 40-0 beating by the All Blacks. The trouble is; the ploy may indeed backfire on the Scots. Sure, they have looked the better side overall in the competition, but that is based on two fixtures against minnow nations, one of which was at home. Italy, on the other hand, have been in the wars. They struggled past Romania, a team like the Azzurri, who place an emphasis on forward power. It was clear also, that they were unconcerned about their mismatch against Portugal. It is difficult to put a value on a real scrap, but in rugby terms, it almost always pays to be with a side that has been through it all, rather than a side who just jets in and attempts to get their hands dirty. Both teams will have earmarked this fixture months ago, but Italy look real value now at Stan James's 9/4 quote. There has been precious little between these two teams in the past and with such inflated odds available, it could pay to take the price. Verdict: 1pt Italy @ 9/4 (Stan James) (Editor's Note: Neither side has performed to their best in the tournament so far but will Scotland have what it takes when it comes to the crunch? Follow the latest prices on Stan James!)