Scotland 30 Italy 30: Bravehearts play their part in another thriller

Scotland head coach Steve McCormack believes there is more to come from his side after overseeing yet another nailbiting World Cup encounter.

The Bravehearts followed up their thrilling 26-24 victory over Tonga on Tuesday at Derwent Park with a 30-30 draw against Italy in Group C at the same venue to remain undefeated.

McCormack was thrilled with the effort of his side, but believes they are capable of improving ahead of their clash against the United States – a match they must win to boost their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages.

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“I’ve got to a stage now where I do enjoy it, probably a few years ago I wouldn’t have done but the older you get and the dafter you get you start enjoying it a bit more,” said McCormack.

“I enjoy watching a team that gives absolutely everything. As a team that’s twice in four days that we’ve given absolutely everything.

“If we can mix that with a bit of skill like we’ve shown, then we’ve got a chance of getting to the quarter-finals on Thursday without playing exceptionally well.We’re looking forward to what’s going to be a fantastic game, USA have been one of the outstanding teams of the competition so far, so that’s looking to be a magnificent game.”

Tries from Matthew Russell and Kane Linnett had helped Scotland to a 14-0 lead but as against Tonga – where they let a 20-4 lead slip to trail 24-20 before inching to victory in the closing stages – they were pegged back.

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Cameron Ciraldo and Raymond Nasso both crossed the whitewash to cut the deficit to two points at half-time although Scotland extended their lead thanks to tries from Danny Addy and Ben Hellewell either side of Nasso grabbing his second for the Azzurri.

Italy’s right flank, where Scotland had found joy in the second half, was exposed again and Hellewell scored his second try, with influential Bravehearts captain Danny Brough failing with the boot. Brough and then Italy scrum-half Ryan Ghietti both failed with late drop goal attempts to ensure the spoils were shared, a result that McCormack had no complaints with.

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