Match report
I’m still slack-jawed. I said at the start that I wouldn’t be shocked if Italy won, but that’s clearly not the case.
History made. What a night for Italian rugby. A new low for England and Steve Borthwick who must be wondering if he’ll still have a job in two weeks.
Rob Kitson was lucky enough to be there and has produced a report worthy of the occasion.
Thanks for joining us this weekend.
Now let’s hear from Maro Itoje, who must want to be anywhere else right now:
It’s obviously disappointing. It’s on us as players. We have to wear the performance. This team over the last year has put in good performances. We haven’t recently. We have to face that and get back to work.
We have to figure it out. If we knew why we wouldn’t be in this position. Teams go through tough periods. We’re in a tough period now.
We’re in a results based business and we have to own the result. As captain I take responsibility for that.
Here’s Italy’s wonderful captain, Michele Lamaro:
Obviously there was a lot of tension before the game. We felt we were close so felt tension and were nervous. But during the game we built that confidence and stuck close to them the whole game. Then when they got those two yellow cards we managed to get over the line. We fought together as always and that was the most important thing.
There are two main turning points. One in the first half when they scored their try. We stuck together when they got momentum and we were a wall. And straight after that we scored after that and the second yellow card.
Imagine the celebrations in that dressing room? I’m not sure there is enogh Frascati in all of Rome.
More reaction from readers:
“It was a dreadful decision by the ref at the end but it was Underhill’s indiscretion when England were in top that swung the match,” adds Tony Mason.
Who else do you want to hear from other than the great Sergio Parisse?
Here he is on ITV:
It’s a great feeling. For all the Italian supporters. For myself. This team had the belief. They have earned the respect.
Italy move ahead of England on the table.
They’ve got nine points to England’s six.
And with England going to Paris and Italy playing Wales next week, their positions might not change when all the beans have been counted.
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What a day of rugby.
Who saw any of this coming?
Scotland hammered France. Italy rewrote history by beating England.
Don’t you just love this sport?
England were much better and perhaps will feel that they were robbed given the shocker of a decision at the end, but that won’t cool the heat that will come.
Where do England go from here?
Let’s get some reaction from readers:
“That is a shambolic decision from the referee. The Italian player was off his feet playing the ball. Outrageous decision to penalise England there,” says. Joshua Keeling, who also adds:
“Deserved win for Italy, albeit finally secured by that terrible decision from the referee at the end.
”I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Borthwick out. This has been a shambolic five weeks for English rugby.”
They’ve done it! They’ve finally done it!
After 32 Tests. After 35 years. Italy have finally beaten England.
They did it with two stunning tries. That last one from Marin eight minutes from time was a proper worldie, one worthy of ending such a long and sorry run.
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ITALY BEAT ENGLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME! Italy 23-18 England
History made!
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80 min: Garbisi kicks out. He finds touch. The line-out is won…
80 min: ITALY WIN THE PENALTY ON THE FLOOR! Is that the game? England made about 80 metres but they ran out of puff and Italy picked their moment. Freeman isolated and Lamoro comes in and wins the ball.
Was he off his feet? Was he from the side? Perhaps on both counts. English fans will no doubt feel aggrieved by that.
79 min: Another long kick from Italy forces England back to their own 22. They have to strike from deep. Murley and Freeman combine to get over the 22. Five phases and they’re over halfway. Chessum makes a great run. They’re almost up to the 22.
78 min: Italy still with the ball. They’re not quite in drop goal range so they kick high. Ioane almost gets there but England have inside their 22. They kick it long but Allan mops up. There’s an England spill so Italy have the advantage if nothing else.
77 min: Italy win the line-out and then kick high. England knock on in the air. Italy on the ball on halfway are in no rush. Another high kick, another English knock-on. This one from marcus Smith. Italy on the ball just short of England’s 22.
76 min: F Smith looks for Roebuck with a cross-field kick but he’s too long with it and it’s straight out. This will give Italy a line-out 10 inside their own half. A few of them are getting treatment. My word, is this actually happening?!
74 min: England need to dig deep here. They have a line-out just beyond halfway. Pollock, off the bench, peels around the back and England get a move on. They’re inside Italy’s 22. The ball is messy and lose and Atikinson is suddenly nailed by Allan around halfway. England look very rushed. Which is fair. Now they hoist a high kick and win the ball back thanks to Murley’s great chase. On the ball inside Italy’s half.
TRY! Italy 23-18 England (Marin, 73)
WHAT A STUNNER! My word, what a try! A cross-field kick finds Ioane. Rather than pass he regathes and finds his feet and runs ahead from the left wing. He then stitches it together for Menoncello who shoes great strength under contact. He runs ahead of the English before passing infield for Marin, fresh off the bench, to score. Brilliant. Garbisi adds the extras. What. A. TRY!
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70 min: This time Ioane doesn brilliantly under the high ball and Italy are back on it inside their half. Fusco hoists another high ball that is won back by Daly. Van Poortvliet returns the favour and England win that ball. A lucky bounce has England on the ball inside the 22. Can they win the game here? NO! They’re turned over. Italy kick long. Lynagh chases after it but Murley gets there first inside England’s half.
69 min: Ioane fluffs a high ball so Italy are back in their own 22. They eventually clean it up and a brilliant kick from Fusco finds touch on halfway. George will have the line-out throw.
67 min: Chessum wins a brilliant line-out steal and then England get a penalty as Di Bartolomeo, the replacement hooker, loses his head and nails a player off the ball at the back of that line-out.
67 min: It’s not clean, but England win the ball from the line-out. The clearing kick from van Poortvliet is bang on, landing out of touch beyond his 22.
66 min: Italy go for the maul and they make ground. Then they throw in a bunch of backs to help out. But England do brilliantly to not give away a penalty and manage to rumble the Italians out of touch just five metres short of their line. Fantastic defence. I wonder if Italy should have taken the shot at the lead.
Yellow card! England (Itoje, 65)
64 min: England down to 13 for two minutes. Off the maul, Itoje stuck his hand in where it didn’t belong. Cynical, according to the ref just as Italy return to 15 men. They kick to the corner this time despite being in range.
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63 min: Another penalty on the floor for Italy. This is inside their own half so Garbisi will kick for touch. It’s not a great touch-finder and doesn’t go very far. Still, they’ll have the line-out in England’s half. Momentum is a hell of a thing, eh?
Meanwhile, Underhill’s yellow will remain. Agree with that.
Penalty! Italy 16-18 England (P Garbisi, 61)
In off the post! In a flash it’s a two point game. Garbisi, from the right tram, curled a left-footer off the far stick.
59 min: A bit of kick tennis ends with Fusco, on for A Garbisi at 9, hoofs a touchfinder over halfway. Italy steal the England line-out and attack down the right. Pani makes good ground, They’re looking good and then win the penalty on the floor inside England’s 22. That came off a kick ahead that turned the England defence and forced the error on the floor. Credit to Lynagh who held his shape and waited til the right moment to get over the ball. P Garbisi will take aim from out wide.
Penalty! Italy 13-18 England (P Garbisi, 58)
Garbisi doesn’t drill this but he gets it over. Bit against the run of play but they’ll be happy to be within five again.
Yellow card! England (Underhill, 57)
I guess. I mean he has made contact with the Italian ball carrier’s head. Not intentional, not dirty, but it is the right call. That gives Italy a shot at three points from about 40 metres just about in front.
57 min: They’re looking at a replay. Underhill might be trouble for a shoulder on head hit. Just a question of where the first contact was made.
57 min: Zuliani spills a horrible pass inside his own half. Hard to understand what’s happened to Italy. Credit must go to England, mind. They’ve been outstanding this half.
56 min: Ioane wins a high ball from Murley. That’s a rare win in the air for Italy. Fischetti is nailed by Underhill and Italy’s momentum is halted despite stacking up eight phases. They’re closer to halfway than the try line and Underhill snatches a turnover on the floor. Italy are falling apart as England are growing.
Penalty! Italy 10-18 England (F Smith, 54)
It was a gimme, but it just squeezed inside the left pole. No matter. Smith adds the extras and England are in firm control of this.
Yellow card! Italy (Nicotera, 53)
That was cynical. The Italian hooker slowed the ball down on the floor just as England were gathering momentum. England have been excellent this half and should add three more to their tally as this is within range.
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51 min: Itoje makes another steal! A huge hit from Underhill halts Italy’s momentum, hammering Cannone. The England skipper stoops and steals and wins a penalty. England now have. the line-out back in Italy’s patch. They’ve got quick ball off the top with Atkinson and Murley making ground.
51 min: Italy show promise with ball in hand but there’s something lacking. A good pass finds Lynagh on the left wing and he makes some ground but once the phases start stacking up they look less threatening. The ball goes from the left wing to the right before the move fizzles out. There’s an England intercept, but we’ll have an Italian line-out from about the same spot as the previous one.
49 min: Now Italy win the scrum penalty. Genge penalised. If you are a fan of scrums this has been a great game for you. Loads of meaty battles in the set piece. Garbisi hoofs this penalty short of England’s 22. Can they do anything with first phase strike play?
48 min: Roebuck gets up to cause problems in the air from a contestable kick. Ioane spills under pressure. He’s upset, but that ball did go forward. Scrum to England inside Italy’s territory. Momentum all with the visitors.
47 min: Two brilliant plays from England. First Earl ran back to gather a tricky chip from Italy inside his own 22. Then Itoje stole the ball after Spencer’s clearing kick landed in a contestable area. England have started this half with great sharpness. Now they have the line-out inside their half.
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Penalty! Italy 10-15 England (F Smith, 45)
England stretch their lead. After that sloppiness in the backfield, I reckon Italy won’t mind England leaving their 22 with only three points. Good start to the second half from the men in white.
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44 min: England win the scrum penalty off Italy’s ball five out! That’s three scrum penalties for the English. Smith points to the sticks. Slight angle to the left of the poles as he’ll see them.
41 min: England win another high kick. They launch another one that causes major problems for Pani in the backfield who makes a proper mess of things. He holds onto the ball and gives away a penalty just metres from his own line. Lucky not to be carded. England tap and go. They spill the ball!! Let off for Italy. Earl thinks he’s dotted down. Nothin’ doin’. Not e en a review.
Phew, that was very lucky for Italy. Could have conceded a try. Could have conceded a yellow card.
They have to scrum five out from their own line.
Second half!
England get things going. Can they maintain their lead and continue their 32-game winning run against the Italians?
Italy have not scored a second half try this tournament so far.
I reckon they’ll need at least one.
The players are getting ready to head back out.
I’m still considering that Roebuck try. Italy really shot themselves in the foot there trying to play silly games with the clock in the read. If they were more pragmatic and kept the ball tight for 30 seconds, they’d be starting this half with a 10-5 lead.
Half-time: Italy 10-12 England
Not sure what to make of that. It wasn’t a classic. But I think the score is a fair reflection of the match. England have been better – much better – than previous weeks. Better kicks, better chases, better at the point of contact. Ben Earl has been magnificent. Italy have been stodgy but for one outstanding line break from Menoncello. Still in the balance. Both teams with more to offer.
TRY! Italy 10-12 England (Roebuck, 40+1)
What an end to the half! Italy will be kicking themselves. They had the scrum and opted to run it out after winning the ball at the back. But Zuiliani was turned over and England came roaring back down the right with Roebuck. England kept hammering the line and inched upfield. With bodies knackered and clustered won the left, Smith looked up and saw Roebuck by himself on the right. The kick was brilliant, the catch, gather and step was better. And with the conversion England take the lead.
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40 min: Itoje is lifted high and pinches a line-out on halfway. Pepper runs it back into traffic. Spencer lifts a high kick but Underhill spilled it. Italy will have the scrum feed. If they can avoid giving away a penalty they’ll close out the half with a five point lead.
38 min: England lose their feet after building nicely and give away a penalty. In that play Earl – for the millionth time this season – made ground after contact. Brex stood up well on defence. So did Ferrari and Garbisi who combined to win the penalty.
37 min: England with a chance to strike back as they force Italy to throw from inside their own 22. But they lose their heads and give away a soft free kick fro drifting too close to the Italian line. P Garbisi kicks down town.
TRY! Italy 10-5 England (Menoncello, 35)
England’s midfield cut in half! Outstanding line from my pick as the best midfielder in the world right now. Italy kept hammering the line off a line-out and made some ground down the left win with Ioane and then Lynagh. They recycled and a short pass back against the grain found the imperious Menoncello who put on the afterburners and sprinted away from the chasing England players from about 30 metres out. Great finish and the extras off the tee open up a five point lead.
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32 min: Underhill’s wonky ears are bleeding, so that gives us a chance to read some views from some of you:
“What a difference between this game and Sco v Fra. Like the change between top flight and second league in any sport”, says Philip H.
Stephen Vallely concurs: “OMG Daniel. This is dire beyond belief. England seem to have the knack of dragging every team down to their level of boring!
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30 min: A scrappy line-out and messy ball gives P Garbisi no platform to kick. As a result, the clearance lands right on Roebuck who runs it back and makes good ground. England hit the ruck at speed and suddenly bodies are free down the left. Atkinson kicks instead of keep it through the hands and it goes out. Italy win the line-out but England are back on the ball after another nothing hoof from the home team.
28 min: Quesada is waving his arms about in the coach’s box. Not sure what he’s upset about but his team needs to pull their socks up. They’re back in their own half with a line-out feed. This score reflects the nature of the game, I’d say.
TRY! Italy 3-5 England (Freeman, 26)
Quality from England! It started off the line-out from the scrum penalty. It went over the top and Earl was charging upfield. From there they had all the momentum and when Smith changed direction to move it from right to left, they had Freeman hovering down the left tram all on his own. The final pass was delivered by big Coles, who couldn’t have flung that any better.
Smith misses the extras.
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25 min: Another scrum penalty for England! That was against the feed. A few things aren’t working, but Genge and Hayes are at least doing their bit.
23 min: Loose from England off that scrum. Atkinson and Smith got in a tangle with the former running a line for the latter on the loop. But the pass was poor and Smith knocked-on. That won’t fill English fans with a lot of confidence.
22 min: After gathering the restrt, Italy launch a high kick that Ioane chases, but he spills. Scrum to England on halfway all the way to their right.
Penalty! Italy 3-0 England (P Garbisi, 21)
First blood to the Italians! A gimme penalty is nudged over.
20 min: England take the line-out but it’s stripped. And that placed a whole lot of England players off-side. A strange little passage ends with an Italy penalty inside England’s 22. I must confess, I’m not entirely sure what happened.
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20 min: Italy enjoy their best few minutes. They didn’t go anywhere, really, but they looked more assured on the ball. Ioane involved again. Cannone too. It ends with P Garbisi raking a grubber from centre field out to touch on England’s 22. Jamie George looks in trobule. Second time he’s need a look at his shoulder.
18 min: Earl makes great groubd after contact off a line-out but the ball is turned over. That transition offers Ital;y a chance to launch down the right and Ioane has it and chips ahead. It’s a bit too long and Freeman sweeps round to clean up inside the try area. But Italy have the ball after the restart and are inching their way back to England’s 22. But Itoje is there, down low to steal a turnover.
16 min: England win the scrum battle and get the penalty. They roar in celebration. Genge was immense there. Smith hoofs the ball out beyond halfway. Much better from England.
15 min: Italy knock on after some enterprising play. Brex and Menoncello involved. The latter attempted a raking grubber from the centre of the park as he aimed for the right corner. It was charged down but he was quickest on the looping loose ball. He then attempted an offload for Lynagh on his right shoulder but it was spilled. So England have the scrum feed between halfway and their own 22 on their left. Italy will want to put pressure on this. Genge in a prolonged chat with the ref.
13 min: Cannone charges Smith’s kick, causing a moment of panic in the England ranks. They manage to mop up the loose ball and clear. We’ll have an Italian line-out just inside their half. They win it before A Garbisi box kicks. England knock on and Italy launch an attack down the left with Ioane on the ball.
12 min: Genge needs a patch up as he gets ready to pack down on a scrum. He’s bleeding from his head but he’s ready to go. England’s feed on halfway close to their right touch. But Italy get the freekick. Not sure why England couldn’t get organised. Garbisi lifts a high kick that is well held by Roebuck just beyond his 22. Spencer returns the favour and England win the ball back. They’ve retained four box kicks already.
10 min: P Garbisi hoofs an awful kick straight to Freeman who canters down the right wing. He’s up to the 22 and offloads brilliantly to Atkinson. But he’s isolated and is swamped by three retreating Italians who win the penalty seven metres from their own line. Now Italy, off the line-out, are marching forward on halfway with one of the Cannone brothers on the ball.
9 min: Will England regret not taking the three points? The line-out is spilled by Coles and Lamaro wriggles his body amidst the morass of the forming maul and forces the turnover. But England are back on the ball building between Italy’s 22 and halfway. A Garbisi makes a good shot on Pepper, knocking him out of touch with the help of Lynagh on England’s left wing.
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7 min: Very good from England and they win the penalty at the floor as Italy don’t roll away. Good continuity, the move started with Genge on the angle and ended with Itoje off-loading for the onrushing Earl. Smith has things moving at great speed. England look very sharp. The penalty is nudged to the corner…
6 min: Lynagh shoots up but Daly slips him. The England fullback then puts in a grubber to the corner to give Murley a chase. It’s slightly overcooked, but this is positive stuff from England.
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5 min: Spencer snipes down the blind on the right and dinks a kick to the corner. It bobbles just a little further away from where he wanted it to stop and Italy will have the line-out in their own 22. They win it, but are put under immediate pressure. A raking box kick finds touch beyond their 22.
3 min: England string nine phases together. They inch their way forward until they kick but gather it back on Italy’s 22. A cross-field kick goes from left to right and Italy knock-on. That means England have the scrum feed just beyond the 22. Sharp and accurate kicking from England early. The chasers have been swift as well.
2 min: George hits his jumper from England’s first line-out, but Italy have it back soon after and kick on Daly who runs it back.
Kick-off!
Righto, anthems done, the fireworks have been set off, the smoke has cleared and away we go!
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Ben Earl walks out onto the pitch by himself on the occasion of his 50th Test.
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Rome looks delicious! The only stadium in the competition I’ve yet to visit.
Loads of England fans in attendance. A lack of support won’t be an excuse for them.
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Does regular contributor Guy Hornsby speak for all England fans?
“I am not full of confidence today, Daniel. We are coming to this in semi-disarray, falling apart off the back of our 12 match run, now a distant memory. Against a team on the up full of excellent players, there are so many big battles, no more so than their centre partnership. You feel Brex and Menoncello v Atkinson and Freeman could decide it. Atkinson is a huge talent but what a way to come back into the team. Freeman is arguably one of our best players, but a work in progress at 13. If their defence falters, we could get torn open. You feel the battle up front will go a long way to deciding it, but make no mistake: on form, Italy winning will be no shock. England have a mountain to climb. A gritty win today will be just fine with many England fans.”
Update on England's team
With Tom Curry injuring himself during the warm-up, Sam Underhill will start.
Chandler Cunningham-South moves to the bench.
That changes the complexity of England’s second half. Underhill won’t feel like a major departure from Curry but Cunningham-South is a different sort of athlete. Along with Ollie Chessum England’s bench now looks pretty hefty. Curious to see if that makes a difference.
England: 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, 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
The crows have been circling, the wolves have been howling, the omens have been, well, ominous.
Here’s some reading as we build up:
Michael Aylwin wonders if this is Italy’s best chance:
Ugo Monye says that England’s secret weapon ain’t so secret anymore:
Robert Kitson argues that fresh faces could make the difference:
And Gerard Meagher heard from Jamie George:
Underhill slots into the starting team.
Now a question of who moves onto the bench.
Tom Curry limps off before kick-off!
The mood has darkened ahead of the opening whistle as Tom Curry hobbles off with an injury during warm-up.
Sam Underhill will start. Chandler Cunningham-South will move to the bench.
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We’ve had our first correspondenc and it’s from Paul Moody who is in Brazil.
“[I’ve got] mixed feelings as a London born fella. Had hopes for England , but they have met reality hard. Still hope excitement,
Canoa quebrada, ceara”
England team
Steve Borthwick has made nine changes to his team, more than any other England coach in the Six Nations.
Tommy Freeman is the only backline player to keep his place in the starting team but he’s been shifted to outside centre, joining Seb Atkinson who has been tasked with providing punch in midfield.
Elliot Daly starts at fullback with Fin Smith replacing George Ford – who misses out entirely – at fly-half. Ben Spencer replaces the injured Alex Mitchell at scrum-half.
The back row still looks light with Ben Earl and Tom Curry joined by Guy Pepper. Henry Pollock moves back to his usual spot on the bench.
Ollie Chessum’s on the wood too, alongside Sam Underhill and Marcus Smith.
England: 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, 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
Italy team
Juan Ignacio Brex returns to the midfield to continue his union with Tommaso Menoncello.
Alessandro Garbisi starts at scrum-half to partner his brother, Paolo, in. the half-backs.
Ange Cappuozzo is out of the match-day 23 with Tommaso Allan starting ont he bench and. Lorenzo Pani returning to fullback.
For the fourth game in a row, Italy’s starting pack remains the same.
Italy: 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 Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Tommaso Allan
Scotland have just put 50 on France!
Unreal. Of course that means nothing for our game here, but it underlines how bonkers this year’s Six Nations has been.
Anything could happen.
Preamble
From October 1991 until kick-off this afternoon, matches between England and Italy have been a forgone conclusion.
The two nations have met 32 times and England have triumphed on every occasion. The average score is around 40 points to 13. There have been drubbings of 67-7 in 1999, 80-23 in 2001 and 57-14 in 2019. Things have been tighter recently, and the last match in Rome ended with a three point margin, but the story has followed a predictable plot for 35 years.
That could change today.
England are on the ropes after heavy losses to Scotland and Ireland. Steve Borthwick has made sweeping changes to his team, more than any other England coach in Six Nations history. His players have looked disjointed, out of sorts and short of confidence.
Italy meanwhile have continued to impress. They fought hard to beat Scotland in a downpour and have been the only side in the first three rounds to provide something resembling a challenge to the French. They have arguably the best centre pair in the game, have astute operators in the halfbacks and now possess a pack that can mix it in heavy traffic.
England should still win. I’d be surprised if they don’t. Then again I wouldn’t be totally shocked if they fall to a third loss on the bounce. Not simply because of their own spluttering form but because their hosts have never been in a better position to finally complete the set in the Six Nations.
That’s a lot of words to admit I don’t know which way this is going. If you’ve got any clue please drop me an email. I’d love some help untangling this conundrum.
Kick-off at 4:40 pm GMT, 5:40 pm in Rome.
Teams and other updates to follow.
