Stuart McInally points to Paolo Garbisi threat ahead of Scotland's clash with Italy in Six Nations

Italy might still be searching for a first Guinness Six Nations win in seven years but Stuart McInally has singled out Paolo Garbisi as the main threat to end that quest this weekend.

In fact, McInally believes that the 21-year-old Azzurri fly-half is the match of any ten in the entire Championship, a ringing endorsement when you look at the players pulling the strings for their respective sides.

From the mercurial Finn Russell to international skippers Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton, not to mention rising stars Romain Ntamack and Marcus Smith, fly-half is arguably the strongest position in the entire competition.

But Garbisi, who is keeping World Cup winner Handre Pollard out of the No.10 jersey at club side Montpellier, has thrived since getting his chance on the international stage in 2020.

And Scotland hooker McInally knows that his team will have to keep a close eye on Garbisi in Rome on Saturday.

He said: "I feel they have got some good individuals. Garbisi at ten is as good a ten as you'll find in the Championship. So they have got players to cause us problems. But we will go there with our own game plan and full of belief that we can get our best game out there and we believe if we do that, we'll get the right result.

"I think Italy seem to be playing with a bit more structure. As ever, they focus a lot on their set-piece. They have got a good scrum. We watched a lot of their scrums and we thought they did well against England, they caused them some problems and also against France."

The game at the Stadio Olimpico will be the first played for The Cuttitta Cup, named after former Italy captain Massimo Cuttitta who went on to coach in Scotland after his playing career.

Cuttitta spent six years as the Scotland scrum coach, but passed away at the age of 54 last year with Covid.

And McInally has more reason than most to want to honour the genial Italian. After all, it was Cuttitta who was one of the driving forces behind his switch from the back row to hooker that helped launch his international career.

He recalled: "I remember working with Massimo when I first started playing for Edinburgh in 2010/11. I was a back-rower then. I didn't really understand the technicalities of what he was saying but I was blown away by his passion for such a unique area. It was all he cared about.

"When I moved to hooker, he was fundamental in the conversations around that. I wanted to know if he thought I could do it and he was certain that I could physically.

"He said he would work closely with me and he did. I have such fond memories working with him and it was so sad when we heard last year that he had died.

"It's such a fitting idea (to create The Cuttitta Cup) and it's so nice to know that every time Scotland play Italy, he'll be there in some way. It will be really emotional and hopefully we can win it and bring it back to Scotland and bring back a bit of his legacy."