Italy defeated England 23-18 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday, March 7, 2026, marking the first time the Azzurri have ever beaten their historic rivals in a Six Nations match. The historic victory lifts Italy above England into fourth place in the tournament standings.
England’s preparations for the match were disrupted by an injury to Tom Curry during the warm-up, forcing Sam Underhill into a late starting role. Despite dominating the early kicking exchanges, England struggled to convert possession into points. Paolo Garbisi opened the scoring with a penalty for Italy in the 21st minute.
England responded five minutes later with a try from Tommy Freeman, following a direct line-out routine and a sweeping pass from Alex Cole. However, Italy regained the lead through Tommaso Menoncello, who exploited gaps in the English defense to score a try. England then struck again before halftime, with Tom Roebuck scoring a try after the clock had expired, converting Fin Smith’s cross-field kick.
Two penalties from Fin Smith extended England’s lead early in the second half. Italy’s Giacomo Nicotera was then sin-binned, but England’s advantage was quickly eroded. Sam Underhill received a yellow card, and Paolo Garbisi capitalized with two penalties of his own, narrowing the gap to two points.
The turning point came when England captain Maro Itoje was sin-binned for slapping the ball out of Alessandro Garbisi’s hands, leaving England with 13 players. Italy seized the opportunity, with Menoncello making a powerful run down the wing before offloading to Leonardo Marin, who scored the decisive try in the 72nd minute.
England head coach Steve Borthwick expressed his disappointment, stating, “Credit Italy, a very good side who have developed a long way. You could see that with the level of their performance. We are terribly disappointed, gutted by not getting the result. For 60 minutes I thought we were in control but the two sin-binnings hurt us.” Borthwick highlighted discipline as a key issue, noting the impact of repeated absences in the back three.
Maro Itoje acknowledged the defeat as a reality check for the team, saying, “It is obviously very disappointing, and it is on us as players. We have to wear this performance and own the result. This team, over the last year, has put some good performances together but recently we haven’t. This result wasn’t good enough.” He added that the team needs to “face the facts, face reality and get back to work,” but admitted they don’t yet know the root cause of their recent struggles.
England now face a challenging trip to France in round five, with the prospect of their worst-ever Six Nations finish looming. Italy, meanwhile, remain in contention for a top-three finish for the first time.
