Italy beat England 23-18 In historic Rome victory

Italy 23-18 England, Rome

Italy produced one of the biggest results in their rugby history with a dramatic 23-18 victory over England at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The win marked Italy’s first-ever triumph over England in the Six Nations era and sparked celebrations among the home crowd after a tense and physical contest.

For England, the defeat represented a third loss of the 2026 Six Nations campaign and leaves Steve Borthwick’s side facing serious questions ahead of their final-round fixture in Paris.

Tight First Half In Rome

The match began in front of a vibrant crowd at the Stadio Olimpico, with England enjoying early territory and scrum dominance. However, the opening stages were disrupted by injuries, including a late change for England after Tom Curry was ruled out during the warm-up and replaced by Sam Underhill.

Italy opened the scoring in the 21st minute when fly-half Paolo Garbisi converted a penalty following an infringement in the English backline.

England responded four minutes later with the first try of the match. A flowing backline move created space for winger Tommy Freeman, who finished strongly in the corner to put England ahead.

Italy quickly struck back in the 34th minute when centre Tommaso Menoncello broke through the English defence and ran in a try under the posts to give the hosts a 10-5 lead.

England regained the advantage just before halftime. Fly-half Fin Smith spotted Tom Roebuck unmarked on the right wing and delivered a precise cross-field kick, allowing the winger to score and give England a narrow 12-10 lead at the interval.

Discipline Shifts Momentum

England extended their lead shortly after the restart when Fin Smith added a penalty making it 15-10.

However, the momentum soon shifted due to discipline issues. Italy hooker Giacomo Nicotera was initially sent to the sin-bin for repeated breakdown infringements allowing Smith to kick another penalty, but England were unable to capitalise.

Moments later, Underhill received a yellow card following a bunker review for a high tackle. Italy used the advantage effectively as Paolo Garbisi kicked two penalties to bring the scores to 16-18.

Marin Try Seals Famous Italy Win

England's problems were compounded as captain Maro Itoje was sin-binned for a cynical slap-down as the decisive moment arrived late in the second half after sustained Italian pressure. Monty Ioane collected a cross-field kick and quickly moved the ball to Tommaso Menoncello, who broke through the defensive line before passing to Leonardo Marin.

Marin finished the move to score the crucial try that gave Italy the lead in the closing minutes. Garbisi's conversion took Italy to 23-18 lead.

Despite a late push, England were unable to break through the Italian defence as the hosts held on to secure a historic five point victory.