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Maro Itoje leads his beaten England team off the pitch after defeat in Rome - David Rogers/Getty Images
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England’s Six Nations campaign lies in ruins in Rome. A first-ever defeat by Italy some 26 years since they first met here in the Six Nations leaves England at risk of their worst-ever campaign and has put Steve Borthwick’s tenure under the most intense scrutiny.
While France, Ireland and Scotland will battle it out for the title next Saturday, England instead face the humbling prospect of travelling to Paris hoping to avoid finishing in last place. England have never lost four games in the championship but on the evidence of this performance, following defeats by Scotland and Ireland, there can be little optimism of halting a losing streak since the opening-round victory over Wales.
The collapse in form after 12 successive Test victories has been alarming and with England’s first fixture of the inaugural Nations Championship in July against South Africa in Johannesburg, there is risk of further humiliation at a time when England should be starting to build up a head of steam going into the World Cup in Australia next year.
Borthwick inevitably faces questions about the credibility of his tenure, and clear evidence of improvement will be needed. Where has the team gone that played such thrilling rugby to defeat Argentina on tour last summer and fought back for a victory over the All Blacks last November? Lee Blackett was brought in from Bath to bolster England’s attacking play, is he being given enough of a free rein?
Borthwick had rolled the dice by making 12 changes from the side that succumbed to a record defeat by Ireland at Twickenham, including promoting Fin Smith to fly-half in place of George Ford. England had used the fallow week to taper their training approach, fine-tune their game plan and privately asked each other some tough questions about their spirit. After this defeat, what buttons are left to push?
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Seb Atkinson, one of 12 changes for Italy, struggled to make an impact - David Rogers/Getty Images
Questions will also be asked of England’s senior leaders, because when the heat came on in the final, the team’s resilience seemed to crumble and their play became directionless. Something does not seem right with the leadership group of Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Ellis Genge.
Yes, this may be the best Italian side we have seen in the championship, but they were far from their best here and what was so frustrating for Borthwick was his side managed to squander a winning position going into the final quarter by a compounding error upon error, something that has undermined their campaign.
The defeats by Scotland and Ireland were both rooted in dreadful starts, when England found themselves out of the game by half-time. This time England unravelled when their discipline collapsed with Sam Underhill and Itoje both sent to the sin bin at a time when they needed to show the way for their younger team-mates.
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Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje were in the sin bin at a crucial juncture in the game - Adam Davy/PA
There were flashes of trouble even when Fin Smith landed his second penalty to establish and eight-point lead, with Itoje appearing to show his frustration at dithering over whether to kick the ball to the corner by insisting for a kick at goal.
Smith was on target and England finally looked to have turned a corner, heading for a gritty win that would have brought to a halt their losing streak and give them something to build on going to Paris against France next Saturday.
But once again their discipline collapsed and opened the door for a rousing and emotional Italian finish. First Underhill was sent to the sin bin for a high shot on Danilo Fischetti in England’s half and Paolo Garbisi landed the penalty. Then moments after the restart, Itoje lost a line-out throw, Italy attack the right-hand side again with Louis Lynagh kicking deep and Tommy Freeman was penalised for holding on. Garbisi was on target again and England’s lead had slipped to just two points.
England still had moments to extend their lead but lacked composure and precision to convert several gilt-edged chances into points. When Itoje was sent to the sin bin for slapping the ball out of the hands Garbisi, reducing England to 13 men, Italy took control. A superb cross-kick by Garbisi found Monty Ioane on the touchline, he flicked the ball inside to Tommaso Menoncello who charged up the wing before putting Leonardo Marin clear for the match-winning try.
By then England looked panic-stricken, losing all shape and making errors in a desperate bid to salvage the result, with Freeman eventually penalised for holding on in the last attack.
The frustration for Borthwick is that his side had shown glimpses of progress for the first hour – the aerial contest was largely productive, with Cadan Murley winning a number of high balls.
Ben Earl had another impactful game, Guy Pepper carried strongly and Smith had some nice touches.
The build-up to the try by Freeman in the first half reflected their desire to get their forwards to pass and offload, with a flick by Joe Heyes allowing Earl to carry strongly. Smith’s cross-kick also stretched the Italy defence allowing Tom Roebuck to score in the right-hand corner to give England a two-point lead at the break.
Yet there were too many errors in between and England have looked defensively vulnerable out wide, where Ioane was a handful and Menoncello cut through too easily the tackles of Heyes and Underhill for his first-half score.
The two penalties by Smith gave England a false hope that their graft and doggedness would be enough. But instead of using their heads to close the game out, England totally lost them, and that it was players who have been in such exacting situations on so many occasions that let the side down is a question that Borthwick has to get to the bottom of, and fast.
Match details
Scoring sequence: 3-0 P Garbisi pen, 3-5 Freeman try, 8-5 Menoncello try, 10-5 P Garbisi con, 10-10 Roebuck try, 10-12 F Smith con, 10-15 F Smith pen, 10-18 F Smith pen, 13-18 P Garbisi pen, 16-18 P Garbisi pen, 21-18 Marin try, 23-18 P Garbisi con.
Italy: L Pani (T Allan 72); L Lynagh, J Brex (L Marin 51), T Menoncello, M Ioane; P Garbisi, A Garbisi (A Fusco 50); D Fischetti (M Spagnolo 58), G Nicotera (T Di Bartolomeo 58), S Ferrari (M Hasa 51), N Cannone, A Zambonin (F Ruzza 51), M Lamaro, M Zuliani (R Favretto 72), L Cannone.
Sin bin Nicotera 78.
England: E Daly (M Smith 74); T Roebuck, T Freeman, S Atkinson, C Murley; F Smith, B Spencer (J van Poortvliet 58); E Genge (B Rodd 58), J George L Cowan-Dickie 76), J Heyes (T Davison 68), M Itoje, A Coles, G Pepper (C Cunningham-South, 76), S Underhill (O Chessum 67), B Earl (H Pollock 74).
Sin bin: Underhill 57, Itoje 65
Referee: Luc Ramos (France).
07:19pm
ITV crew have their say on Borthwick
07:11pm
Curry on crutches
The Sale man got injured during the warm-ups and this is not a good sign for England or Sale fans:
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Concern for Tom Curry - David Rogers/Getty Images
07:10pm
England head coach Steve Borthwick speaking to ITV
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How much pressure is Steve Borthwick now under? - David Rogers/Getty Images
07:06pm
Italy winger Louis Lynagh speaking to ITV
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Italy finally get their first win over England - Ciro De Luca/Reuters
07:03pm
More of your views
- Paul Beckett: “Time for Borthwick to go-England are short on ideas, leadership & game management. England are moving backwards under Borthwick.”
- Barrie Llewellyn: “After the Wales game Borthwick was the man, now he’s the villain, how fickle.”
- Michael Stewart: “Borthwick needs to go.. gives enough time for a new leader to bed in before the RWC.”
- David Guess: “Fair play Italy. They wanted it more and played better rugby.”
- Toby Jug: “Dreadful to watch, England were slow and ponderous and seemed directionless.”
- Ella Morrison: “I have always supported England Rugby but have never managed to get behind this England team. They are arrogant, entitled, boring to watch and lack true grit. Both Borthwick and Itoje need to go. So happy for Italy, what a deserving win!”
07:00pm
England player ratings: Daly fails to take chance as Atkinson struggles
Some England players will want to look away now, in particular Elliot Daly, Tommy Freeman and Seb Atkinson. Our very own Fiona Tomas has had her say on the England 23 today.
06:58pm
Big question!
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06:57pm
Post-match thoughts of England captain Maro Itoje
06:56pm
Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Live
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Another miserable day in this Six Nations for England - Gregorio Borgia/AP
06:53pm
Your views
- Martin Heaney: “Well, if it wasn’t before, it’s official now. Worst England team in the history of the 6 nations.”
- Jason Johnson: “Well played Italy, but please Borthwick resign and take that sorry coaching group with you and let’s get Shaun Edwards regardless of cost.”
- Jon Sandford: “Borthwick should be gone by Monday morning. Another inept performance. They’ll be plenty of people reconsidering booking their flights to Australia next year if this clown is still in charge.”
- Don Holt: “How can England with all their resources be this poor. Something is really rotten in the whole set-up. Borthwick isn’t the only one who needs to lose his job.”
- Ar Ar: “Regardless of which players are picked, we look terrible. The common denominator is Borthwick. Get him gone.”
06:51pm
Post-match thoughts of Italy captain Michele Lamaro
06:49pm
Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Live
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Italy make history; look what it means! - David Rogers/Getty Images
06:45pm
David Flatman on ITV
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Jubilation for Italy, misery for England - Gregorio Borgia/AP
06:43pm
Round four results
Friday 6 March:
Ireland 27 Wales 17
Today:
Scotland 50 France 40
Italy 23 England 18
06:41pm
England’s Six Nations fixtures
February 7: England 48 Wales 7
February 14: Scotland 31 England 20
February 21: England 21 Ireland 42
Today: Italy 23 England 18
March 14: France vs England
England will head into the final round in fourth, with just the one win and three losses to their name. At best, they can only finish fourth with a daunting trip to Paris to come. After a dominant win in their opener against Wales to make it 12 straight wins, from that point it has been thoroughly miserable for England fans.
06:37pm
Have your say
A chastening day for England and Steve Borthwick as they slump to a third consecutive defeats. They have huge questions to answer. Remember you can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog. Should Steve Borthwick’s position be under huge threat? How many changes would you make for next week in France? Where do they go from here?
06:34pm
Full time
Italy boot the ball out of play and it is a famous day for Italian rugby. They claim their first-even victory over England, who slump to a third straight defeat. A joyous day for Italy, a miserable one for England. Huge, huge questions for England to answer, with a trip to Paris to come. Are England staring down the barrel of four losses out of five in this year’s Six Nations?
06:31pm
79 mins: Italy 23 England 18
England are in possession on the Italian 22 as we enter the final minute but they are caught holding on. Is that it? Steve Borthwick looks rather glum in the stands. That penalty should have gone the other way; poor, poor decision. In from the side and not staying on his feet.
06:29pm
77 mins: Italy 23 England 18
The game is being played at the wrong end of the field if you are an England fan. The seconds are ticking by as England stare down the barrel of losing to Italy for the first time.
06:27pm
75 mins: Italy 23 England 18
F Smith’s crossfield kick looking for Roebuck on the right touchline has too much on it and goes into touch. England have just five minutes to score a converted try.
Itoje is back from his yellow card.
06:25pm
73 mins: Italy 23 England 18
Double change from England as Pollock and M Smith come on.
06:23pmKey moments • Tries • Video
TRY! Marin puts Italy in front
A huge, huge moment for the hosts with eight minutes left. Ioane is found on the left touchline with a crossfield kick and steps back inside before offloading to Menoncello. The centre blasts through the attempted tackle from Daly and strides forward into the England 22. Menoncello finds Marin inside and it is a simple finish. The extras are added and Italy lead by five. There is no way Daly should be missing that tackle.
06:21pm
70 mins: Italy 16 England 18
You can sense the nervousness and tension inside the Stadio Olimpico right now as we head into the final 10 minutes.
06:18pm
67 mins: Italy 16 England 18
Underhill’s sin-bin period is over and is replaced by Chessum, who immediately steals a lineout with his first touch. Van Poortvliet is then taken out in the air by Di Bartolomeo, who is lucky not to be shown a yellow card.
06:15pm
66 mins: Italy 16 England 18
Italy get their maul rolling through the England 22 and the backs join it. Even though they are down to 13, England do a great job of defending it and force the maul into touch.
06:14pmKey moments • Video
65 mins: Italy 16 England 18
England’s ill-discipline is costing them at the moment and they are going down to 13 men. Itoje has cynically slapped the ball down as Fusco took it from the maul and is sent to the bin. This is so poor from England.
P Garbisi puts it into the England 22 and the visitors are under the pump.
06:12pm
63 mins: Italy 16 England 18
Italy are back up to 15 men as Nicotera’s sin-bin period is over but he is now replaced by Di Bartolomeo.
We have news from the bunker and Underhill’s yellow card will remain so. There is a high degree of danger but there is mitigation due to a late change of direction.
06:09pm
PENALTY ITALY!
P Garbisi is a lucky man as his penalty looks like it will go wide but it comes off the inside of the left post and in. Two points in it now.
06:09pm
60 mins: Italy 13 England 18
The momentum is shifting as Freeman is caught holding on inside his own 22. Will Italy go for goal or to the corner?
They go for the former...
06:06pm
58 mins: Italy 13 England 18
England are making changes as Rodd and van Poortvliet are on for Genge and Spencer.
That was a worrying moment for F Smith, who pulled up after taking the kick-off. Looks more like cramp than an injury.
06:06pm
PENALTY ITALY!
P Garbisi has just enough on it and we are back to a five-point game.
06:03pmVideo • Key moments
57 mins: Italy 10 England 18
The TMO is stepping in to take a closer look at a tackle by Underhill. It is a tackle on Fischetti that is under the microscope. He is the secondary tackler after Genge but there is shoulder-to-head contact. It is a fairly simple one and Underhill is sent to the bin, with there set to be a bunker review. Underhill can have no complaints really. Underhill does not get low enough and there is power in that hit. It would be a surprise to see it upgraded to a red but yellow is definitely right.
Italy will go for goal to make it a one-score game...
06:01pm
55 mins: Italy 10 England 18
England still are yet to dip into their bench but that will probably change soon. Plenty of starting forwards can empty the tank with six forwards in the England bench.
05:59pm
PENALTY ENGLAND!
F Smith gets the three and England lead by eight.
05:59pm
53 mins: Italy 10 England 15
England have a penalty on the Italian 22 and referee Luc Ramos has had enough. He decides to send hooker Nicotera to the bin and is spot on with that decision. It is so stupid from the Italian hooker, who cannot resist but play the ball in the breakdown whilst on the ground.
England point to the posts to make this a two-score game...
05:57pm
51 mins: Italy 10 England 15
Itoje is making a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and wins England a penalty on their own 10-metre line.
05:57pm
50 mins: Italy 10 England 15
Italy now change their scrum-halves as Fusco comes on for A Garbisi. Marin and Hasa also on for Brex and Ferrari.
05:55pm
49 mins: Italy 10 England 15
Italy have made a change in the lock department as Ruzza replaces Zambonin.
05:52pm
47 mins: Italy 10 England 15
That is really good from England. Spencer’s clearing kick from inside his own 22 is caught by P Garbisi on the England 10-metre line but he immediately hit. Itoje is then straight onto the ball and steals it. A really good exit from England.
05:50pm
PENALTY ENGLAND!
F Smith makes no mistake from the tee and England’s lead grows out to five points.
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England looking to increase their advantage - David Rogers/Getty Images
05:49pm
44 mins: Italy 10 England 12
England are awarded another penalty at the scrum and Genge thinks about taking the quick tap but is shouted at not to. Itoje considers his options and decides to go for goal...
05:48pmVideo
42 mins: Italy 10 England 12
Pani makes an absolute mess of a grubber kick by Daly and is brought down deep inside his own 22. Italy are under pressure near their own line and England counter-ruck brilliantly. Pani plays the ball illegally on the ground and England win a penalty. Should that have been a yellow card for Pani?
England take the quick tap but the ball is knocked on right by the try line. Genge tried to reach for the line but the ball slipped from his grasp.
05:45pmAnalysis
Second half
We are back under way in Rome, with England taking a two-point lead into the second half. No changes for either side at the break. The TV cameras have picked up former England flanker Lewis Moody amongst the travelling fans. Great to see him, although his dance moves leave a lot to be desired.
Lewis Moody is having a great time in the stands#GuinnessM6Npic.twitter.com/A8iRd2qe3M
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 7, 2026
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Rome has rarely had such an overwhelming number of away supporters for a Six Nations fixture. It is creating a curious atmosphere, with the stadium announcer desperately trying to galvanise the home fans in the middle of play. Now they are being implored to generate a half-time light show with their phones. It feels as though everything is still waiting to ignite.
05:42pm
The difference at the half
Tom Roebuck’s try with the clock in the red was so, so important for England and will have changed the moods of both dressing rooms at the break.
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Tom Roebucl’s try gives England the lead at half-time - Adam Davy/PA
05:39pmAnalysis
Positives and negatives
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The action has been miles off the scintillating try-fest at Murrayfield, but England supporters can at least take some solace from the fact that this week their side are already not out of the contest as they were against Scotland and Ireland.
There have been some plus points – the aerial contest has largely been productive, with Cadan Murley winning a number of high balls, and there have been glimpses of the attacking game they have been working on. The build-up to the try by Tommy Freeman involved a flick pass by Joe Heyes, a strong carry by Ben Earl and then another pass by a forward, this time Alex Coles, to put Freeman away.
The try by Tom Roebuck in the final play of the half was another, with Fin Smith using width to stretch the Italian defence with a cross-kick to his wing in the right-hand corner. Yet there have been too many errors in between and England have looked defensively vulnerable out wide, where Monty Ioane has been a handful and the Tommaso Menoncello try came too easily with the Italian centre blasting through tackles of Heyes and Sam Underhill. A slim lead for England is just about a fair reflection, but they will have to be more consistent and potent in the second half if they are going to win this.
05:36pm
Your views at HT
- James Town: “Change the players but still have the same game plan. What is the point?”
- Richard Freer: “Hardly an inspiring first half… When Mitchell was fit, the movement of the ball out of rucks was lightning fast, now it’s pedestrian. England seem to be doing everything at half speed at the moment. I hope the second half is better - it needs to be…”
- Chris Brooks: “This game could either way. Good bit of play at the end of the 1st half by Fin Smith. Smith needs to be more active in the 2nd half.”
- Roger Sidney: “Is it just me? After watching France and Scotland, England seem so ... pedestrian. Totally lacking in imagination and creativity.”
Remember you can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.
05:30pm
Half-time
That is the final act of the half and England take a two-point lead into the break.
05:28pmKey moments • Tries • Video
TRY! Roebuck scores on the verge of half-time
Boy did England need that. Roebuck started the move with a great break and he finishes it. England are in possession inside the Italian 22 with the clock in the red and F Smith looks like he is going to come to his left. But he spots Roebuck in acres of space on the right wing, all on his own. F Smith picks him out with a crossfield kick and Roebuck takes it before stepping back inside to finish well. F Smith adds the conversion.
GENIUS from Fin Smith!
The Northampton fly-half spots Roebuck all alone on the wing and picks him out with a perfect cross-kick
A great finish from the winger, too!#GuinnessM6Npic.twitter.com/zIiDFamThD
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 7, 2026
05:25pm
38 mins: Italy 10 England 5
England are in possession near the Italian 22 but the attack is ended as F Smith goes off his feet to seal off at a breakdown. It came from a hospital pass to Coles by F Smith, who has not had a good first half.
05:20pmKey moments • Tries • Video
TRY! Menoncello puts Italy back in front
That is a terrific finish from Menoncello. Italy are in possession inside the English half and Menoncello runs a terrific line to come onto the pass from A Garbisi at pace and go through the gap. Menoncello has too much gas for Daly and scores under the posts. P Garbisi adds the extras and Italy lead by five.
05:19pm
33 mins: Italy 3 England 5
England waste that attacking opportunity as Earl is punished for obstruction at the lineout.
05:18pm
32 mins: Italy 3 England 5
That is a big error from A Garbisi, whose box kick from just outside his 22 goes straight out on the full to gift England a lineout in a good position. Underhill is the latest England player to receive some treatment as there is plenty of blood coming from his ear.
05:14pm
28 mins: Italy 3 England 5
The TV cameras have picked out Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada, who is rather animated in the coaches’ box and is not a happy bunny.
05:11pmKey moments • Tries • Video
TRY! Freeman gets England on the board
Finally, England get their first score of the game and make an entry into the Italian 22 count. With a penalty advantage in hand, England come to the left inside the Italy 22 and the final pass from Coles is a great one out to Freeman to give his Northampton teammate an easy finish. F Smith though is unable to convert, despite Freeman making sure he scored closer to the posts. F Smith will be disappointed as he is normally very good from the tee.
05:10pm
25 mins: Italy 3 England 0
England win their second scrum penalty of the game, this time on the Italian feed. F Smith takes England towards the Italian 22.
05:09pm
23 mins: Italy 3 England 0
Things are not going to plan for England right now as F Smith knocks on just inside his own half after a loose pass from S Atkinson. Those two played alongside each other back in the day for Worcester before they went bust. On the wider shot, it appeared the Italian backline was offside from the scrum just before that knock-on.
05:06pm
PENALTY ITALY!
P Garbisi makes no mistake and Italy have the first points of the game.
05:06pm
21 mins: Italy 0 England 0
That is an absolute gift from England. From their own lineout inside their own 22, the England backline are offside. That is ludicrous from England. Italy take the pragmatic decision to go for three...
05:05pm
20 mins: Italy 0 England 0
It has been a little stop-start in this opening quarter, in particular as a number of England players have had to have running repairs, the latest being George, who seems to have hurt his shoulder.
05:02pm
17 mins: Italy 0 England 0
Italy steal possession inside their own half and attack down their left. The ball is moved all the way to Ioane on the left touchline and he races into the England half. Ioane chips ahead but there is far too much on the kick and Freeman gets back to give England a goal-line drop-out.
05:00pm
16 mins: Italy 0 England 0
The first scrum penalty goes England’s way as Italian tighthead prop Ferrari is pinged for the angle of his scrummaging. The scrum was seen as a key area today and England strike first in that area.
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There are plenty of running repairs being carried out on England in the opening stages, even after losing Tom Curry in the warm-up. Both Maro Itoje and Tommy Freeman have just received treatment while Ellis Genge’s shirt is already caked with blood and his head is heavily bandaged.
04:56pm
13 mins: Italy 0 England 0
Nearly a very nervy moment for F Smith as L Cannone charges down a kick inside England’s half but fortunately for the visitors the ball comes to Daly, who clears.
04:55pmAnalysis
12 mins: Italy 0 England 0
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Stop me if you have heard this one before but England have had two entries into the red zone and come away with nothing with Alex Coles dropping the ball from a lineout and then Seb Atkinson conceding a jackal turnover. There are signs of more punch and purpose in the carry but it is a world away from the way that Scotland and France were attacking earlier.
04:54pm
11 mins: Italy 0 England 0
Genge has been receiving some running repairs as he gets some blood cleared from his head and is now sporting a Terry Butcher-esque headband, aka strapping around his head!
04:51pm
10 mins: Italy 0 England 0
Roebuck gathers a kick well just inside the Italian half and finds Freeman outside him. The Northampton man charges into the Italy 22 and offloads inside before going into touch. S Atkinson takes it but is then caught holding on. The pass from Freeman looked like it had gone forward anyway.
04:49pm
8 mins: Italy 0 England 0
England are enjoying plenty of possession in these early stages and Earl takes them into the Italian 22. N Cannone does not roll away and England are awarded the penalty. It could be a shot at three but F Smith puts it into the corner.
However, England make a mess of it and Italy are able to steal it through Zambonin before clearing.
04:46pmAnalysis
5 mins: Italy 0 England 0
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Noticeable even in the opening exchanges that England opting to launch more contestable kicks and have won two of the last three, giving them a chance to attack from broken play.
04:45pm
3 mins: Italy 0 England 0
England are winning the aerial battle thus far, with Murley getting up a few times to retain possession, and they will have a scrum not far outside the Italian 22.
England are awarded a free-kick, which Spencer takes quickly, and the grubber kick rolls into touch inside the Italy 22.
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There’s a fun old atmosphere building inside the Stadio Olimpico which is at least 50 per cent England supporters. Hopefully they are also fans of kicking because England are putting boot to ball a lot in the early stages.
04:42pm
1 min: Italy 0 England 0
England have made slow and poor starts the last two weeks so it is imperative they get going early today.
04:41pm
Kick-off
We are under way in Rome. Can England bounce back from consecutive defeats or will Italy claim their first-ever victory over England?
04:37pm
Reminder of the teams
In case you missed it, England have been forced into a late change with Tom Curry picking up an injury during the warm-ups. Sam Underhill comes into the starting XV and Chandler Cunningham-South comes onto the bench.
Italy starting XV: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Garbisi; 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 3 Simone Ferrari, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 6 Michele Lamaro, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 8 Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Pagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Tommaso Allan.
England starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly; 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Cadan Murley; 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Alex Coles, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.
04:33pm
Anthem time
Both sides emerge from the tunnel, England led out by Ben Earl on his 50th cap, and we are just moments away from kick-off at the Stadio Olimpico. If you are a fan of the film Gladiator (how can you not be!), you will have enjoyed the theme song “Now We Are Free” belted out before the anthems.
Now it is time for the anthems. “God Save The King” followed by “Il Canto degli Italiani”.
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Ben Earl leads England out on his 50th cap after defence coach Richard Wigglesworth paid a tribute, of sorts, to the Saracens back-rower earlier in the week. “I shared a changing room with an 18-year-old boy coming in,” Wigglesworth said. “He absolutely did everyone’s head in with his confidence stroke arrogance. He was sat between me and Chris Ashton. We chucked his stuff out of the changing room every day for about two weeks, he persisted, came back and there’s four or five different changing rooms in Saracens’ little groups, he was brilliant. He was one of them guys you just knew was going to be good, but he almost needed to be whacked into shape in those early years. He trained for a year with us and then he came back the next pre-season and was honestly the best player. We were like, oh my god this kid is special. He may have boarded on arrogant and annoying but he’s turned into confident and in my view, very likeable. I’m very proud of him hopefully we make it a brilliant day for him.”
04:29pmAnalysis
Keeping a close eye on proceedings
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Byron McGuigan, England’s skills coach, has been studying Italy’s warm-up intently for the last five minutes and is now deep in conversation with attack coach Lee Blackett. I am always dubious of how much you can actually spy in a team’s warm-up but before the 2017 Six Nations match Italy were practising their no ruck Fox tactic in plain sight and no one in the England camp noticed.
04:27pmKey moments
Confirmation from England
04:22pm
How do England react?
With Tom Curry limping off during the warm-ups, Sam Underhill is expected to swap the bench for the starting back-row, with Chandler Cunningham-South expected to come onto the bench to retain England’s 6-2 forwards-backs split.
04:20pm
Change at 10
Steve Borthwick has replaced George Ford at fly-half with Fin Smith. What does Jonny Wilkinson think of Smith?
04:17pmAnalysis
Slippery ball?
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It is pretty gloomy here in Rome with a hint of rain in the air, just as the stadium DJ starts playing AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. You wonder how much of a factor a slippery ball will become in an England backline combination featuring new units everywhere.
04:12pmKey moments
Big blow for England
Just half an hour until kick-off but England are going to be forced into a late change. Tom Curry has got injured during the warm-ups and has been helped off by two members of the England medical staff. It appeared to happen during a maul drill and it looked like he got hi ankle cuaght underneath. It has been a gutting few days for the Curry family, with Ben undergoing surgery which has ended his season, and Tom now limping off with an injury that does not look good at all. Let’s hope that is nothing serious. Sam Underhill looks like he will be coming into the starting XV from the bench.
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Huge blow for England before the game has even started - David Rogers/Getty Images
04:10pm
Gold medal insight
Matt Weston, who won two golds at the Winter Olympics at Milan-Cortina for Team GB, has been in England camp this week and is in Rome cheering on the England team. Thomas Tuchel has also been in the England camp with Steve Borthwick not afraid to bring in some outside voices.
04:08pm
The view from the two head coaches
04:02pm
All over at Murrayfield
An absolutely bonkers game has come to an end and boy has it shaken things up. Scotland have beaten France 50-40, yes you read that scoreline correctly, which has opened it all up going into the final round next weekend.
03:59pm
World-class centres?
Is this Italy’s best chance to claim their first-ever win over England this afternoon? Charles Richardson has been taking a closer look at some of the key areas that will be crucial if Italy are to get over the line today, including their centre partnership:
03:54pmAnalysis
The English travel well!
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All along Viale delle Olimpiadi, the vibrant thoroughfare that runs past the Foro Italico and towards the Stadio Olimpico, you can barely move for England supporters in their Roman gladiator costumes. The reason is not their bullishness about the match to come but their disbelief at Scotland’s marmalising of France at Murrayfield. Every square inch is taken as people crane for a view of the nearest screen.
03:51pm
Some home truths
You cannot get away from the fact that England’s last two performances against Scotland and France have been pretty dismal. You would also imagine there have been some pretty frank conversations amongst the England players. Former England captain Jamie George, who starts for England this afternoon, has given his assessment this week:
03:46pm
Get your fix
If you want to hear from our experts every week throughout the Six Nations, you can catch them on our Telegraph Rugby Podcast. Perhaps though if you are an England fan it has been a hard listen the last few weeks.
03:41pm
England’s Six Nations fixtures
February 7: England 48 Wales 7
February 14: Scotland 31 England 20
February 21: England 21 Ireland 42
Today: Italy vs England
March 14: France vs England
It was all going so well for Steve Borthwick’s men after matchday one, with the win over Wales making it 12 straight wins. However, a poor performance particularly in the first half away at Murrayfield followed by a woeful game against Ireland a week later has put England in a tricky spot with two rounds remaining. They have had a couple of weeks to stew on consecutive defeats and now face back-to-back away games to finish off this year’s tournament.
03:34pm
Shocking scoreline at Murrayfield
Who would have predicted this? Just past the hour mark, Scotland lead France 40-14. Yes, you read that correctly! You can follow the closing stages of that match right here.
03:33pm
Schedule for 2026 Six Nations
Round 1
Thursday 5 February:
France 36 Ireland 14
Saturday 7 February:
Italy 18 Scotland 15
England 48 Wales 7
Round 2
Saturday 14 February:
Ireland 20 Italy 13
Scotland 31 England 20
Sunday 15 February:
Wales 12 France 54
Round 3
Saturday 21 February:
England 21 Ireland 42
Wales 23 Scotland 26
Sunday 22 February:
France 33 Italy 8
Round 4
Friday 6 March:
Ireland 27 Wales 17
Today:
Scotland v France, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Italy v England, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Round 5
Saturday 14 March:
Ireland v Scotland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Wales v Italy, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
France v England, Stade de France, Paris
03:28pm
Does Borthwick lack charisma?
A first humbling by Italy looks all too plausible
Do you agree with this assessment of our Chief Sports Writer Oliver Brown? Remember you can have your say in the comments section at the bottom of the blog.
03:24pmKey moments
Teams
Italy have made three changes to their starting XV from their defeat to France. Ignacio Brex is back in the centres having missed the last two games due to personal reasons. Alessandro Garbisi comes in at scrum-half to make it a double whammy of Garbisis at half-back. With Ange Capuozzo out with a shoulder injury, Lorenzo Pani is in at full-back.
Italy starting XV: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Garbisi; 1 Danilo Fischetti, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 3 Simone Ferrari, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 6 Michele Lamaro, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 8 Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Pagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Tommaso Allan.
Steve Borthwick has decided to make wholesale changes following England’s loss to Ireland, making nine personnel changes and three positional switches. The backline looks very different, with Elliot Daly, Fin Smith, Ben Spencer, Tom Roebuck, Seb Atkinson and Cadan Murley coming into the team. George Ford, Fraser Dingwall and Henry Arundell are all out of the matchday squad, with Alex Mitchell and Ollie Lawrence both injured.
England starting XV: 15 Elliot Daly; 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Cadan Murley; 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben Spencer; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George, 3 Joe Heyes, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 5 Alex Coles, 6 Guy Pepper, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.
03:20pmKey moments
How will England respond to back-to-back losses?
England head to Rome to take on Italy, aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats. After beating Wales on matchday one, which made it 12 straight Test victories, England lost at Scotland in round two before a heavy home defeat to Ireland last time out, thus ending their 2026 Six Nations title hopes. England had hoped that they would be playing for the Grand Slam and the title in France next weekend in the final round but those hopes have gone up in smoke.
England’s away record in the Six Nations in recent seasons has been poor; they have won just four of their last 13 away games, with two of those coming in Rome. Only Wales and Italy have fewer away wins in the Six Nations since England last won the title in 2020. Steve Borthwick, who has responded to those losses by making the most changes England have ever made in the Six Nations era, has admitted his side have not played to the standard required over the last few weeks.
“All of us have been really disappointed with the performances in the last two games,” Borthwick said. “Clearly there are some key aspects that were not good enough. Those have been addressed. I say to the team that we have certain standards and I am going to hold them to those standards. There are certain things that, to me, are unwavering. Things that I will not move upon.
“Unfortunately, in the last two games, on certain things, we have not met those standards. We want an improved performance and result this weekend. We are expecting a big test in Rome and it is one the players are really looking forward to. We know the challenge Italy will bring at the Stadio Olimpico, and we have selected a team we believe will deliver the level of performance we are striving for.”
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Fin Smith gets the nod to start at fly-half for England this afternoon - David Rogers/Getty Images
Italy began their 2026 Six Nations campaign with a home victory over Scotland but that has been followed up by two defeats, granted in two tough away matches in Ireland and France.
“If you want to get to the point where you believe you can be competitive against the best teams in the world, you have to start winning against those teams at some point,” Italy captain Michele Lamaro said.
“I am thinking of Argentina, for example; their improvement in the last couple of years was seen in the away game against the All Blacks when they won for the first time. England is the closest challenge we have got because we play them next, so I think it is a first step. If you want to be in the top five you have to be able to win these games.”
England have never lost to Italy, winning all 32 meetings between the nations. England won convincingly at Allianz Stadium a year ago but it was a tight affair the last time these teams met in Rome, with England claiming a narrow three-point victory. Will Italy claim their first-ever win over England to plunge them into a bigger mire or can Steve Borthwick’s men bounce back?
Kick-off from Rome is at 4.40pm.
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