Rob Dewey was more than happy to settle for marking his RBS 6 Nations home debut with a win despite being denied the score that would have maintained his try-per- Test strike-rate.

The 23-year-old centre looked to have put his side out of sight when powering over unstoppably midway through the second half, only to have the score ruled out because he had collided with Alan Lewis, the match referee, on the way.

Even so, the now familiar toothy grin was in evidence after Saturday's 21-9 victory over Wales.

"There was a lot of pressure on us this weekend. The loss against England was obviously disappointing for all, but we've got to keep moving forward and we did," he said. "There were no tries but it was a good solid performance in defence and the pick-and-goes and around the base we were very strong. That gave us the advantage and Wales were giving away penalties.

"With a bit more stable ball there's a lot more to come from us. We looked to get the ball wide but it didn't come out. Hopefully we can put that on show against Italy when we get the backs running."

The visit from an Italian side who demonstrated why it must be taken seriously when holding England to fewer than half the points they scored against Scotland a week earlier, is certainly a more edifying prospect for Dewey and his colleagues than it might have been.

No-one in the camp was under any illusion about the scale of the task facing them had they been beaten by Wales, so setting up what would have been billed a wooden spoon decider against the Italians.

Saturday's was the key match in this championship and perhaps this entiure World Cup year for Scotland. Defeat would have left them deeply worried about the two home matches to come in the next month, but instead there is real reason to relish the prospect of facing not only the Italians but the Irish, who follow them to Murrayfield.

In some ways this may have been educative because Frank Hadden and his assistant coaches, George Graham and Alan Tait, have changed tack lately, focusing on winning at all costs rather than performance. Yet this was Scotland's best performance under their watch.

"The most important thing about winning is what it does for the confidence," Hadden noted. "We'd lost two games in a row and if that becomes three in a row you've got a problem on your hands. Alan, George and I were saying before the game we're actually very proud of this young team but they need to win. We know what that will do for their confidence. We think we've got a side capable of earning respect."

Chris Paterson, the captain who set a Scottish record in this tournament and equalled the championship best with his seven successful penalty strikes, admitted to some frustration that there were no tries to add gloss. Yet he said so in terms that indicated how much the belief is growing.

"There was a lot of pressure not because we were beaten last week but because we have an expectation on us. Playing in front 67,500 people at Murrayfield creates tension and pressure because," he said. "I was just pleased that we had an inexperienced team that gave such a mature performance."

So, while expressing full respect for the Italians, Paterson hinted that Scotland now feel they have a licence to thrill next time around, saying: "Italy's strength is up front and we've been caught in a trap sometimes against them thinking keep it tight don't make mistakes and we'll eventually come good'. However, that's no longer the case, they're a quality side and most of them play at the top level in Europe. Some of them are the pick of their clubs."