Scotland captain Chris Cusiter was left to reflect on the unforgiving nature of the Six Nations as his team were defeated 12-16 in Rome this afternoon.

Stand-off Dan Parks scored all Scotland’s points through three penalties and a drop-goal, his haul taking him beyond the 100 point mark for his country and earning him the RBS Man of the Match award for the second successive time in a losing cause.

Cusiter thought his charges had done well to regroup and take the lead at 12-9 around the hour mark at the Stadio Flaminio.

“From there I felt we were going to kick-on and start to move the ball a bit.  Unfortunately they got themselves back into it with a try – one defensive lapse on our part and there’s a try.  That’s the unforgiving nature of Six Nations matches,” he lamented.

Scotland head coach Andy Robinson noted that Scotland were in the Italian 22 on 22 occasions without crossing the whitewash. He credited the Italian defence while also acknowledging that Scotland’s lack of ruthlessness had proved a key factor.

On two occasions, TMO Nigel Whitehouse was asked to adjudicate on Scotland prop Allan Jacobsen’s drives to the Italian line; yet on each occasion the TV pictures from Sky Italia could provide no conclusive evidence that the ball had been grounded.

Jacobsen himself felt he had scored on the first occasion but was unsure about the second.  Gone are the days when the referee – a la Joel Dumé in a Scotland v Wales match at Murrayfield in 1993 – would pull bodies away from the breakdown to see for himself if the try had been scored.

Robinson, as is his wont, did not criticise referee Dave Pearson in that regard.  But the English official’s failure to yellow card Italian blindside flanker Josh Sole for illegal interference at a breakdown three minutes from half-time – he then compounded matters by calling back Sean Lamont after the winger had taken a quick tap penalty and had touched down for a “score” – left the Scotland coach perplexed.

“That’s the issue with the game.  You’re not sure what you are going to get in those situations,” he said.

“I thought it was clear cut.  If it had been one of our players I thought probably it (the yellow card) was going to happen.”

Robinson believed, especially in the early stages, that Scotland did not perform with enough accuracy or venom at the mayhem that passed for the breakdown.

“By fair means or foul they (Italy) were dominating the battle at the breakdown.  That’s where we have got to do better.”