We need to be better, says Hawick’s Lisa Thomson after Scots beaten 25-17 by Italy in rugby’s Women’s Six Nations

Inside-centre Thomson and fellow Borderer Chloe Rollie played for all 80 minutes of the Scots’ 25-17 loss to the Italians, accompanied by Hawick’s Lana Skeldon for the first 50 prior to her replacement at hooker by Elis Martin.

That defeat followed one by 38-15 away to France at the end of March, leaving head coach Bryan Easson’s side second from bottom of the championship table, on four points from three fixtures.

They’re away to unbeaten table-toppers England in Leicester next this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 4.45pm, and Thomson is hoping for a reaction to the weekend’s loss by five tries to three come round four of the tournament.

The English go into that game on the back of a 49-5 win away to Ireland on Saturday but Thomson reckons her side can take some encouragement from the hosts’ display in Cork, a 24th-minute Amee-Leigh Costigan try having put them in front and only being 7-5 down at half-time, as they target what would be only their third win against their neighbours in 34 meetings since 1994 and their first for 26 years.

Looking ahead to that trip south of the border, the 27-year-old, yellow-carded on 56 minutes for a high tackle on Aura Muzzo, said: “We need to be better next week.

“We saw what Ireland did to them in the first half, so we see the game as another opportunity to get another win.

“We will be looking forward to the next two weeks and we need to put things right.”

Full-back Rollie, No 8 Evie Gallagher and left-winger Francesca McGhie scored tries for Scotland against Italy in front of a crowd of 5,029 at the weekend, one of them converted by fly-half Helen Nelson.

Touching down in the opposite direction were Muzzo at the double, Francesca Sgorbini, Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi and Alyssa D’Inca.

Reflecting on that first defeat in four games against the fourth-placed Italians, Thomson added: “We overplayed in our half, and we let Italy into the game.

“We know that Italy are a team of really good rugby players. They are a class outfit and we have always had tight games with them over the years.

“We let them get a rumble on and we did not get in their face.

“They got their offloads away and then they got on top of us.

“We know what they are capable of, and we needed to not let them play their game. We got caught up playing their game and we got caught up in the chaos.

“We were able to work our way up the pitch, but we needed to better in the goal zone and we needed to be better in their 22.

“We were in there for long periods, but we did not come away with any points, so it is not good enough.”

Thomson is now on 67 caps, with Rollie, 29, on 73 and Skeldon, 31, on 77.

All three have been ever-presents so far this tournament, featuring in the Scots’ starting XV for their opening 24-21 win hosting Wales on Saturday, March 22, as well as in France a week later.