Lo Cicero – who made his debut in 2000 – left the field in tears midway through the second half with the crowd responding by giving him a standing ovation on his 103rd appearance for his country.

And after an RBS 6 Nations campaign that included home wins over France and Ireland plus an impressive display in defeat against England at Twickenham, Lo Cicero is confident he is leaving the country in a far greater state then when he arrived.

“Developments have taken place in this tournament, we saw a team that has spent so much time together, and at the end that came together,” he said.

“Every year is a step further forward, the work that the coaching staff is doing is good and is beginning to bear fruit.

“We should try to be more consistent. It is normal that this factor is missing but the players are aware of this and are now living rugby every day.”