Scotland's full team wasn't the only side to pull off a resounding defeat of Italy on the weekend. At Lasswade on Sunday the national under 19 side beat their Italian counterparts 55-13.

‘Martin Currie man of the match’ was rightly awarded to Scotland stand-off, Ross Aitken. The Cupar 18 year old scored the confidence boosting opening try of the competition, then produced a second in the first half. Equally impressive were his kicking skills. He scored three conversions and a penalty, taking his own points scored to 19.

“I’m more the play maker who sets up the tries for everyone else, as opposed to scoring them myself,” said Ross afterwards.

“Last season I tended to ship the ball on or try and put someone else through but this year I’ve tried to have a go myself every now and again.

“So it was good to get on the score sheet. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, had a good game and I’m very proud to be the man of the match.

“I was the man of the match once before with the school Sevens last year but this is the first time for the country, which is a great honour.”

When Scotland under 19’s played Italy a year ago they had won but the 14-5 scoreline showed a much slimmer margin.

“Last year was quite a tight game,” said Ross, who had been in that team. “Yesterday’s game showed we have definitely come on a long way since then, both physically and score wise. Everything went right on the day and it’s good to get such a good result.”

Few were more delighted than Scotland under 19 coach, Colin Robertson, who described his team’s display as one of the best he had seen in 20 years.

“It is very encouraging for Scottish Rugby to see these results and for our team to win by nearly 50 points is a proud moment for the players and coaching staff,” he said.

“We worked really hard on being physical and we also wanted our off-loading to be accurate. That worked well for us and we beat them comfortably.

“The result and performance bodes well for next year’s under 20 team. We are trying to prepare these players for that challenge and provide the selectors with a bigger pool of players available.

"Ross has always been a natural rugby player with bags of potential which is now coming to the fore.

“He is on a real upward curve with his performances at present, which is great timing. He is playing with a lot of confidence allied to the gains he has made by playing regularly and developing areas such as strength and conditioning and psychology with Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport.”

The Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport (TFIS) has supported Ross for the past two years in partnership with the Caledonia Academy. The Academy provides technical and tactical expertise, whilst the TFIS offers the support of the network’s expert teams working together to deliver essential support services locally in sports medicine, sports science and strength and conditioning. Until recently the Academy was managed by Colin Robertson who has joined the TFIS as Performance Lifestyle Advisor.

“I’ve come on a long way in the last year,” said Ross. “I’ve been doing a lot of sessions with Colin, particularly on my kicking and working on different scenarios. I feel a lot more confident to have a go myself.

“Being in the Academy and Institute makes a big difference, especially the weights sessions and the extra training the Academy provides.

“We have different workshops such as psychology and that’s helped a lot with my ball kicking. If you make a mistake it’s all about not letting it get to you and staying strong. Some people can crumble and let that effect them, but the psychology makes a lot of difference.”

Scotland next face France, away. “It will be really tough,” declared Robertson. “But we will prepare with confidence and we will give it a good crack.”