England ran out convincing 47-24 winners over Italy in a thrilling encounter to keep their 2025 Championship title hopes alive.
England extended their unbeaten run against Italy in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations to 32 matches, keeping their Championship ambitions firmly on track with a strong performance at Twickenham.
Under the bright London sun, Fin Smith got the final game of the penultimate round underway, sending the ball into the sky. It didn’t take long for the hosts to stamp their authority on proceedings.
A spell of sustained England pressure saw Tommy Freeman carve through the Italian defence with a blistering break down the wing. With defenders closing in, he offloaded inside to Tom Curry, who bulldozed his way through multiple tackles deep in the 22. Quick ball at the breakdown gave England the platform they needed, and it was Saracens’ Tom Willis who finished the job from close range. [Fin] Smith added the extras: 7-0.
Italy, struggling for possession in the opening stages, made their first real opportunity count in stunning fashion. A slick set-piece move, sparked by a well-executed chip from Paolo Garbisi, saw the ball spread wide to the right. Monty Ioane nudged it forward again with a delicate kick of his own, and there was no stopping Ange Capuozzo as he gathered at full pace to touch down for a sensational try. Garbisi made no mistake from the tee, bringing the scores level: 7-7.
England had struck from nowhere to punish a sleeping Italian backfield, as Elliot Daly’s perfectly weighted kick sent the towering figure of Tommy Freeman racing past the Azzurri defence to gather and score England’s second of the match. [Fin] Smith, unfazed by the angle, slotted the conversion to double the lead: 14-7.
Just as England looked to have seized control, Italy hit back in devastating fashion. The electric Capuozzo, who had threatened all afternoon, sliced through from deep inside his own half. Weaving past the English defence, he found the supporting Ross Vintcent, who sold a dummy before sprinting clear to finish untouched—a number eight with the speed of a winger. Garbisi’s conversion ensured parity once more: 14-14.
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The Twickenham crowd barely had time to draw breath before England struck again. Their third of the match—and the fifth of a breathless first half—came from a moment of quick thinking. A tap penalty was swiftly shifted wide, and Ollie Sleightholme was on hand to dive over in the corner. From the left-hand touchline, [Fin] Smith produced another pinpoint kick, nudging England closer to a crucial bonus point: 21-14.
But England’s ill-discipline invited Italy back into the contest. A penalty conceded by Ellis Genge in the dying moments of the half gifted Garbisi a straightforward three points, reducing the gap to four at the break: 21-17.
A pulsating first half in London had delivered five tries and set the stage for a thrilling second half.
England picked up where they had left off after the break, and it was Marcus Smith who produced a moment of individual brilliance to extend their lead.
A powerful carry from Will Stuart took England into the Italy 22, and from the next phase, [Tom] Curry showed delicate hands to offload to [Marcus] Smith. The Harlequins playmaker needed no second invitation, dancing his way through the Azzurri defence to dot down under the posts. His namesake [Fin] Smith added the extras with ease: 28-17.
Momentum was firmly with the hosts, and they wasted no time in striking again. A well-executed set-piece move saw England build pressure deep inside Italian territory before [Tom] Curry powered over from close range to claim a try of his own. Another pinpoint conversion from [Fin] Smith pushed the lead further out of reach: 35-17.
England turned on the style once more with a breathtaking team try, punishing an Italian error inside their own 22.
Maro Itoje was first to pounce on the loose ball, charging forward with intent. What followed was a masterclass in handling under pressure—[Ben] Curry, Alex Mitchell, and the ever-reliable Jamie George, on his 100th cap, all produced silky offloads to keep the move alive. With defenders closing in, Sleightholme showed his finishing instincts, diving over in the corner for his second.
[Fin] Smith, flawless from the tee, curled in another conversion to push England’s lead to 25 points: 42-17.
Italy finally found their way onto the scoreboard after 71 minutes, as a powerful surge from Manuel Zuliani broke through the English defence. The ball was then shifted to 2024 Player of the Championship, Tommaso Menoncello, who crashed over the line without a hand laid on him.
Paolo Garbisi added the extras, narrowing the gap to 42-24, but the task of closing that deficit in the final minutes became an uphill battle for the Azzurri.
England rounded off the match in style, securing a vital bonus-point win. A strong turnover from the hosts saw Ben Earl pounce on the loose ball, racing over the line for the final try of the game.
The 47-25 victory ensured England kept their Championship hopes alive as they headed into Super Saturday. Their next challenge awaited in Wales, as they looked to continue their quest for the title in a mouth-watering clash with their old rivals across the bridge.
Scorers:
England: Tries: Tom Willis, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme(2), Marcus Smith, Tom Curry, Ben Earl. Conversions: Fin Smith (6).
Italy: Tries: Ange Capuozzo, Ross Vintcent, Tommaso Menoncello. Conversions: Paolo Garbisi (3). Penalty: Paolo Garbisi.
Teams:
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge. Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith.
Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Monty Ioane, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Matt Gallagher, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Ross Vintcent, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti. Replacements: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Lorenzo Cannone, 22 Martin Page-Relo, 23 Tommaso Allan.