And so we head back to where it all began. The Six Nations is a quarter of a century old. Wednesday will mark 25 years since its opening fixture on 5 February 2000, but of more visceral significance will be this weekend’s encounter at Murrayfield between Scotland and Italy, a rerun of that first match, bathed in sunshine, when Italy, the new arrivals, announced themselves to the old championship with a shattering 34-20 win over champions Scotland.
Those not yet in middle age may balk at the phrase “champions Scotland”. But it is true. Scotland were quite often champions back then. In 1999 they won the last Five Nations, outplaying the rest in what must still rank as the greatest championship of them all. England squeaked past them at Twickenham in round two, but Scotland had run rings round them all match, just as they would all-comers that year. When England fell to the most dramatic defeat of them all on the final Sunday, to Wales at Wembley, Scotland were crowned worthy champions, having thrashed France in Paris, no less, the day before.
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Italy, on the other hand, came into their first championship on the back of a hideous World Cup, losing all three of their pool matches in 1999, a 60-point hiding to England, a three-point defeat to Tonga and a 100-point humiliation at the hands of the All Blacks. They had secured their Six Nations status on the back of increasingly impressive results, beating Ireland (three times), France and Scotland in the five years prior, but it seemed that vintage was breaking up. Beyond the most evocative city on Earth, questions were already being asked about what exactly Italy would bring to the party.
They showed us on that glorious afternoon in Rome, 25 years ago. Diego Domínguez had been central to the team that forced the issue in the late 1990s. At the age of 33, he proved very much still on it, kicking 29 points at the superbly atmospheric Stadio Flaminio, just across the Tiber from where Italy have played their Six Nations matches since 2012, the grander Stadio Olimpico.
Alas, it proved a false promise. Scotland, as much as Italy, were to struggle with the new realities of professional rugby. The haphazard ways of the 20th century gave way to something more streamlined and focused. Scotland have not seen the top of the table since, but they did rouse themselves to deny England their latest shot at a grand slam, at rain-lashed Murrayfield. Thus Italy were condemned to last place in the inaugural Six Nations. And they have come last in 17 of the subsequent 24, those questions morphing at times into flagrant demands.
And so to Saturday, when we think we can see Italy’s player pathways, which have improved vastly in the last 10 years, start to bear fruit. The fixtures this weekend, as it happens, are the reverse of those on that first weekend 25 years ago (when England put 50 on Ireland, and France scored nearly 40 in Cardiff). Italy remain underdogs for their trip to Murrayfield but they beat Scotland fair and square last season in Rome, having just drawn in Paris, before going on to win in Cardiff.
Their 11 points in the table was still not enough to move them above fifth, but the sense is that the Azzurri are starting to apply their own pressure to the general intensification of standards. They march on Murrayfield with a tough and flexible team, drawn largely from confident Benetton, elevated by some stars from the French and English leagues.
Scotland ought to go into the contest chastened by that defeat in Rome. They are not dissimilar in their toughness and flexibility, but Finn Russell is at the height of his powers and their firepower out wide is world-class.
The loss to injury for the championship of Sione Tuipulotu, captain and keeper of the flame, is undoubtedly a blow, but his Glasgow teammate, Stafford MacDowall, is a player of similar punch and skill, who is no stranger to Huw Jones, his partner in the centre. Jonny Gray, now hopefully rehabilitated from injury, returns to replace Scott Cummings in the second row, the latter’s loss to a broken arm another unfortunate blow.
But Scotland have been threatening for so long to make an impact on this championship. They do seem to have absorbed two losses as punishing as those of Tuipulotu and Cummings with apparent ease. Two home matches are as much as they could have asked for from the fixture gods and with their Twickenham hex long since exorcised, now is as promising a time as any.
Italy too must feel as if they have had enough of false dawns. The two teams have come a long way in the last quarter of a century, all the more so in the last couple of years. Profile-wise, this fixture sits comfortably now among the others. That has not been the case for most of the years intervening.
