Tom English
BBC Scotland chief sports writer

"Speculation" was an interesting word for Gregor Townsend to use regarding the report in the Daily Telegraph.

He hasn't signed a deal with anybody, he says. And it's all a tactic to disrupt Scotland before the Six Nations.

Sorry, but I'm not sure anybody is buying that one. Has he committed to signing a deal?

He hasn't exactly blown this story out of the water with "speculation" and obfuscation. There's probably a reason for that.

The report in the Daily Telegraph just supports everything we have heard on the grapevine.

But if Scotland start well in the Six Nations then what he does in 2027 is not going to have much of an impact. Nobody will care.

If they start badly then all sorts will get thrown at him in the here and now - distracted by his links with Red Bull and Newcastle and so on.

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Keep it clean please.

The build-up to this game has been dominated by reports surrounding Gregor Townsend's future.

The Scotland head coach already has a part-time consultancy role with Newcastle Red Bulls but the Daily Telegraph has reported, external that he will take over full time - most likely as a director of rugby - when his Scottish Rugby Union contract expires in 2027.

However the former Scotland stand-off, who took over as head coach of the national team in 2017, has denied he has put pen to paper on a deal with Newcastle.

"It's pure speculation, I've not signed a contract beyond the World Cup with anybody," Townsend said.

"It's a story that is being put out there to try to disrupt before the Italy game or next week's game against England.

"It's just something that comes out, things like these, before the England game in particular.

"There's no truth I've signed the contract beyond the World Cup and my focus is on the Scotland team right now and hopefully up to the World Cup."

Although Scotland's head-to-head record against Italy is excellent, their overall record in Rome isn't fantastic, with seven wins from 13 matches in the eternal city.

On the Scots' most recent trip to the Italian capital in 2024, they went down 31-29 after a second-half collapse.

They cannot afford a repeat today.

Image source, Getty Images

Tom English
BBC Scotland chief sports writer

From the outside, it would be understandable if you thought Scotland are fancying their chances this year, what with Glasgow Warriors tearing it up in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup.

There are nine Warriors in the starting line-up against Italy and another five on the bench.

Understandable, but ignorant of the way things are.

The fatalism, the quarter of a century of not contending, the grinding down of expectation.

Hope lives - as it must - but there isn't a more realistic bunch of supporters in this tournament than the Scots. When they hear outsiders describing them as bullish they tend to wonder what planet these people are living on.

The backdrop to this Six Nations is anger over head coach Gregor Townsend and his inability to take the team forward. This is his ninth campaign.

On his watch, Scotland have finished fifth once, fourth on five occasions (including the past two) and third twice. He's won 19 out of 40 Tests.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland

It's testament to the form of Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie that leaving out Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham - numbers one and two in the list of record try-scorers - is not at all controversial.

Both Glasgow wings have been superb this season, while Graham will be out to make a big impact off the bench.

Blair Kinghorn being left out the 23 is a big call. He's been Scotland's nailed-on 15 for a long time.

It's a huge show of faith in Bristol's Tom Jordan, who has looked at home in the Test Arena. Gregor Townsend looks to be shaking things up with this selection.

Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham - the top two try-scorers in Scotland history - as well as British and Irish Lions Test full-back Blair Kinghorn have been left out of the side for the trip to Rome.

Gregor Townsend has opted for a back three of Bristol's Tom Jordan at full-back flanked by Glasgow Warriors wingers Kyle Steyn and Jamie Dobie.

It is a first Six Nations start for Dobie, who has played the majority of his career as a scrum-half but who has shone for Glasgow on the wing this season.

Graham is among the replacements but Van der Merwe and Kinghorn are not even in the matchday 23, with stand-off Adam Hastings and scrum-half George Horne the other backs cover.

Scotland: Jordan (Bristol); Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu (c), Dobie (all Glasgow); Russell (Bath), White (Toulon); Schoeman (Edinburgh), Ashman (Edinburgh), Z Fagerson (Glasgow), Cummings (Glasgow), Gilchrist (Edinburgh); M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey (all Glasgow).

Replacements: Turner (Harlequins), McBeth (Glasgow), Millar-Mills (Northampton), Williamson, Brown, Horne, Hastings (all Glasgow), Graham (Edinburgh).

Italy: Marin (Benetton); Lynagh (Benetton), Brex (Toulon), Menoncello (Benetton), Ioane (Lyon); P Garbisi (Toulon), Fusco (Zebre); Fischetti (Northampton), Nicotera (Stade Francais), Ferrari (Benetton); A Cannone (Benetton), Zambonin (Exeter); Lamaro, Zuliani, L Canonne (all Benetton).

Replacements: Di Bartolomeo (Zebre), Spagnolo (Benetton), Hasa (Zebre), Ruzza (Benetton), Favretto (Benetton), A Garbisi (Benetton), Da Re (Zebre), Pani (Zebre).

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, SNS

It's that time of year again.

Scotland are in Rome to get their Six Nations campaign under way.

More of the same or dare to dream?