Italy captain Michele Lamaro hailed his side after they ended an 11-year wait for a Six Nations win at home with a 31-29 bonus point triumph over Scotland.  

Not since Ireland were felled at the Stadio Olimpico on March 16 2013 have the Azzurri tasted home success in the championship. It has also been almost two years since their last Six Nations win anywhere, a 21-22 win over Wales in Cardiff.  

Lamaro said post-match: “Well done to the boys, we have done amazing preparation, worked so hard. We have worked a lot on our details and today we gave it everything. I couldn’t be prouder.”  

The Benetton back-row was delighted to play his part in bringing the winning feeling back to the Stadio Olimpico.  

He added: “We still have to improve a lot, but to bring back a win in Rome is unbelievable. The stadium was full, that was one of our objectives in the last few months. To be here, to live this moment, is unbelievable. 

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“It means a lot because it’s a win that doesn’t come from just one game where we played well, it has been two or three years where we have been working so hard to get to the point where we can compete with other teams in this tournament.  

“The last game we won against Wales in Cardiff, we were really underdogs and came from nowhere, we didn’t play well in that tournament. But we have improved [in this one] from the first game until now.” 

Lamaro will now take his side, who could avoid the wooden spoon for the first time since 2015, to Cardiff on Super Saturday. Italy have never won three consecutive championship matches since they joined the Six Nations in 2000.  

Lamaro said: “We are hungry. We really want to bring this team to the next level. We fully believe in what we do, the hard work we put in. I couldn’t ask for more.  

“We have an amazing week in front of us. It’s another great opportunity. We need to go for it, prepare well and put in the performance.”