How sad it would be if Italy, having spent so long waiting to join European rugby's top table, were to trip over the doormat and leave embarrassing stains on the carpet before they even unbutton their designer coats.
The sending-off of their captain, Massimo Giovanelli, for stamping on the head of his Scotland counterpart, Eric Peters, was up there with urinating in the fountain in the list of faux pas for newly-arrived guests and Latin manners will have to be addressed between now and their entry to the Six Nations championship next year.
Aside from Giovanelli's 74th minute indiscretion, which earned him an eight-week suspension and rules him out of the forthcoming games against Wales and Ireland, yellow cards for foul play were doled out to prop Franco Properzi and out-half Diego Dominguez as a game the Italians badly wanted to win slipped away in a disappointing second-half.
Combined with mumbled threats to boycott both the game and post-match function over the paltry number of complimentary tickets originally allocated to the visitors, it is fair to say neither country exactly charmed the pants off each other.
As Scotland are pencilled in to be Italy's first Six Nations opponents next February, it was all rather unfortunate and Italian coach Georges Coste stoked the fires alleging "the referee wasn't fair." Giovanelli, who will now have to wait a little longer than anticipated for his 50th cap, insisted that he was just trying to ruck his opponent out of the way.
Despite a period of intense pressure at the start of the second-half Italy remained scoreless for the last 65 minutes of the game. Kenny Logan had opened the scoring for Scotland inside 70 seconds, Luca Martin crossed twice within the first quarter before Gregor Townsend's third try in as many Tests this year sealed a home win.
Logan again kicked the difficult ones while missing a couple in front of the posts yet still finished with 20 points; a bit more consistency all round. Scotland's games against Ireland and France will be fascinating indeed.
Scotland: Metcalf, C Murray, Tait, J Leslie, Logan, Townsend, Fairley, Smith, Bulloch, Burnell, S Murray, Grimes, Walton, Peters, M Leslie. Replacements: Longstaff, Chalmers, Burns, Pountney, Reed, Hilton, Brotherstone.
Italy: Pertile, Roselli, Stoica, Martin, Dallan, Dominguez, Troncon, Cuttitta, Moscardi, Properzi, Cristofoletto, Giacheri, Giovanelli, Checcinato, Sgorlon. Replacements: Mazzi, Pavin, Baroni, Saviozzi, Castellani, Stocco, Caione.
Referee: R Davies (Wales).
