Scotland produces brilliant backline moments to subdue Italy in Six Nations

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Moments of brilliance by a backline shorn of its best player spared Scotland from a second straight humbling by Italy in Six Nations rugby on Saturday.

Scotland won 31-19 at Murrayfield thanks to two tries by center Huw Jones after Italy rallied to tie the score at 19-19 going into the last quarter.

Right wing Darcy Graham conjured a break from nowhere in the 61st minute for Jones to score the tiebreaker. Then replacement center Tom Jordan's huge miss-out pass unleashed Jones again in the 66th to bash through three defenders for the clincher.

Jones' first test hat trick was a mild surprise considering he was without his regular midfield partner Sione Tuipulotu, the captain and form back who was out of the tournament after damaging a pectoral muscle last month.

Without Tuipulotu's sharp edge, Scotland's forwards carried more in a narrow attack while the backline struggled to flow. Scotland's bogey team Ireland will be a much bigger hurdle next weekend at Murrayfield.

For a while, Tuipulotu wasn't missed as Scotland blasted off to 14-0 inside nine minutes and 19-9 by halftime. Tries by Rory Darge, Jones and Ben White promised a party.

But Italy, which beat Scotland in Rome a year ago, stayed in touch thanks to four penalties in the 40-48-meter range by Tommaso Allan.

Then center Juan Ignacio Brex intercepted Scotland co-captain Finn Russell and bolted 60 meters to dive between the posts and tie the score and hush a stunned stadium.

But Scotland pulled out two more superlative moments from its backline to squeak home with a bonus point.

“A good enough team performance but we can be a lot better,” Russell said.

The game had barely started when a Scotland penalty in front of the posts was tapped and Darge drove through three defenders to touch down. Then Russell's loop around gave an overlap to wing Duhan van der Merwe, who fed an unmarked Jones inside to score.

Italy finally touched the ball and worked hard but couldn't get near the Scotland 22. Scotland conceded only four penalties in the first half and Allan slotted three of them to bring his team into the game.

The Scots found another purple patch in the middle of the half. A 13-phase attack died when Russell had the ball jolted from him by Lorenzo Cannone, but a lineout maul finished with Dave Cherry breaking off and backpassing for scrumhalf White to score in the right corner.

Scotland had three tries to nil but Italy was emboldened by the close score, and Allan nailed a fourth penalty to start the second half. Then Brex accepted Russell's gift pass for the try and tying score.

It got tense in Murrayfield until Graham, appearing in his first Six Nations in three years, stepped three defenders inside his own half, suddenly found space, drew the last man and let Jones fly in.

“The carries I got influenced the game and some big moments off the back of that which I'm happy with,” Graham said. “Penalties kept them in the game, it was our mistakes, so it was just about sticking to our game plan and wait for somebody to bring that spark.”

Jones, for one, was grateful.

“It was a big turning point," Jones said. "There wasn't really anything on for him but Darcy will find a gap where there isn't one. I just had to keep up with him.”

Italy go home to face Wales in a potential wooden spoon decider, while Scotland hope to confirm a title run when defending champion Ireland visit.

“I don't want to say that our confidence is sky high,” Jones said. “We're happy with the win today but our focus is on taking it week by week.”

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Italy's Monty Ioane (right) and Scotland's Darcy Graham during the Six Nations rugby union match between Scotland and Italy, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

Scotland's Rory Darge scores the opening try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Scotland and Italy, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

Scotland's Huw Jones scores a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Scotland and Italy, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

Scotland's Huw Jones scores a try during the Six Nations rugby union match between Scotland and Italy, at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)