The Vern Cotter era in Scottish rugby ended in celebratory fashion as they thumped Italy at Murrayfield.
Cotter departs at the end of the Six Nations to take up the reins at Montpellier, with Gregor Townsend replacing him as Scotland head coach -- and this was a fitting testament to the progress made under the Kiwi. It also marked the first time that Scotland had claimed three victories in one Six Nations tournament since 2006.
Scotland took the lead in the fifth minute when Stuart Hogg -- who started despite having to leave the defeat to England early with an injury -- confidently booted a penalty from near halfway at a wet Murrayfield.
The weather encouraged both teams to rely on up and under kicking to put pressure on their opponents' handling, and this eventually led to a penalty opportunity for Italy, which Carlo Canna dragged horribly wide from kickable range midway through the first half.
Scotland came close to scoring the game's first try after a 19-phase move ended with Finn Russell's crosskick aimed for Tim Visser, but the Scotland wing knocked on when trying to gather the high ball.
The hosts only had to wait a couple of minutes for their score, however, as sustained pressure finally brought a try for Russell in the left corner. The fly half also converted for Scotland to open a 10-point lead.
Canna, however, continued to struggle from the tee and he dragged another great penalty chance wide left in the 33rd minute.
Scotland added to their lead three minutes before half time when -- with a pending penalty -- Russell cleverly kicked over the top, Hogg batted it back and Matt Scott, on as a replacement for the injured Huw Jones, tapped down unchallenged. Russell could not quite pull the ball round enough from a wide angle for the conversion, so Scotland went into half-time with a 15-0 lead.
Canna ended the half in unfortunately fitting style, pulling a third penalty wide left with the last action of the period.
Italy's failure to get on the scoresheet in almost comical fashion continued in the 48th minute when an overlap left them with an all-but certain try only for Angelo Esposito to be held up over the line by a scrambling defence. There was at least encouragement for the Italians as John Barclay was yellow-carded for pulling down a maul.
Incredibly, Italy still contrived to not score despite sustained pressure and a great overlap opportunity, which only resulted in a comical knock-on from Edoardo Padovani. Scotland emerged from the 10-minute period with 14 men without conceding a point.
Moments after Barclay returned, Scotland looked to have scored their third try, with Tim Visser touching down after a kick ahead from Hogg. The TMO was required to confirm the try, but reviews showed that the score was perfectly legal and Scotland's lead was extended to 20 points. Russell then slotted a superb conversion from the left sideline as the sun began to bathe Murrayfield.
Patient build-up play produced a fourth, bonus-point try for Scotland in the 73rd minute, Russell and Hogg combining superbly to set Tommy Seymour free on the right for an easy score. Russell's conversion opened up a 29-0 lead.
The defeat was Italy's 12th successive loss in the Six Nations, dating back to a narrow win at Murrayfield in 2015. It also marked the first time they had been held scoreless by Scotland in 27 meetings.
