Scotland and Italy Look to Dot I's and Cross T's For WC Warm UP

Scotland will host Italy at Murrayfield for both teams' first World Cup warm-up match, ahead of the tournament start in September.

If it is anything like their close encounter during the Six Nations, fans are in for a treat.

Back in March, Gregor Townsend's side were leading the match 19-14 but Italy were just metres away from scoring with a minute remaining. They coughed up possession, though, and Blair Kinghorn finished off an incredible try to seal Scotland's 26-14 win.

Kinghorn starts on the bench for this match with Ben Healy at 10 and Ollie Smith at 15. Scotland do not have centurion Stuart Hogg in the team, as although the full-back had originally planned to retire after the World Cup, he announced his immediate retirement on 9th July.

The game seems a test of depth for both squads with big names missing from both teams, particularly in Italy's XV. The Azzurri's three big stars - captain Michele Lamaro, back-row Sebastian Negri and full-back Ange Capuozzo - are all not included.

Capuozzo missed a lot of the end of the season with injury but he was included in Italy's World Cup training squad. A good note for Italy, though, is that Montanna Ioane returns after not playing in the Six Nations.

It is a chance for players to prove themselves to their respective coaches with the final World Cup squad announcements coming in the next few weeks.