History-making Italy inflict a shattering loss on England to leave Steve Borthwick’s job on the line
Italy celebrate Leonardo Marin's winning try while, inset, Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje stew in the sin bin
England’s Six Nations went from bad to worse in another rip-roaring Test match, which ended with Italy incredibly beating them for the first time.
This year was supposed to be all about Steve Borthwick’s charges launching a title tilt that would have them arriving in Paris next Saturday looking to become champions.
Instead, they will limp to the French capital with their reputation in tatters and calls for the head of their head coach. Bad enough enduring the annual brain-fart versus Scotland and then getting battered by Ireland.
But this 23-18 loss in Rome was another thing entirely for a team that had won 12 matches on the bounce when it defeated Wales in Round One of the tournament on February 7. The wheels on Borthwick’s chariot have spectacularly fallen off, and the fall-out from this latest deserved loss will be ugly, with the coach’s job surely in the line.
Criminally imploded
Italy were excellent value, a side illustrating their burgeoning potential, whereas England looked a shadow of the unit that Borthwick had tipped as title contenders, and they criminally imploded in the second half, having gone 18-10 up with a yellow card advantage.
Having gambled on taking a sledgehammer to the XV toyed with by the Irish, the coach was forced into another alteration during the pre-game warm-up with Tom Curry pulling up lame and replaced by promoted sub Sam Underhill.
This late switch didn’t initially ruffle the visitors, and they went on to start the match as the better team, but their early dominance and multiple entries to the 22 had no impact on the scoreboard. This stalemate created the scenario for Italy to catch their breath, find their feet and go on to open the score, dutifully helped by England going offside at their own lineout in their 22.
The infringement invited Paolo Garbisi to point to the posts, and his 21st-minute kick was good for a 3-0 lead. It was short-lived. The scrum had been a source of English cheer, and another penalty win gave them the territory from where they launched the attack that ended with Tommy Freeman going over in the 26th minute with Alex Coles providing an excellent assist pass.
It was a well-worked move, the sort of play that suggested an upset result wouldn’t be the outcome, but with the conversion missed and the follow-up period passing by without note, they were left sucker punched in the 34th minute. No danger was apparent when the ruck that followed a brief Manuel Zuliani carry produced a slow ball on the 10-metre line.
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However, Joe Heyes horribly missed his tackle on Tommaso Menoncello, with Underhill failing to help close the gap, and it allowed the midfielder to fracture the defence and glide all the way to the try line. It was a moment of rugby beauty that left last man Elliot Daly totally flummoxed, and Garbisi’s follow-up conversion stretched the advantage to 10-5, but again the Azzurri lead didn’t last long.
They had the clock-in-the-red chance to put the ball dead and end the half, but their enthusiasm to attack led to a spill and the eventual effect was an England leveller, with Fin Smith finding Tom Roebuck with a clever crossfield kick and then having the composure to add the tricky conversion for a 12-10 interval advantage.
Half-time didn’t recalibrate the Italians as Lorenzo Pani got in a penalty-conceding muddle that came within a whisker of Ellis Genge scoring. A knock-on was the verdict but with England winning a penalty at the ensuing scrum, Smith extended the lead to 15-10 in what was now a fiercely attritional battle.
The next development was the 53rd-minute yellow carding of Giacomo Nicotera, for playing the ball illegally as Ben Spencer looked to pass away from a ruck. That gifted Smith three further points and with England now in a two-score lead – 18-10 – for the first time in the match, they have every incentive to go on and thrive with a man advantage.
Instead, they blinked. Underhill needlessly went in high on Danilo Fischetti and copped a 57th-minute yellow, a punishment added to by Garbisi booming over the penalty kick to trim the gap to five points. Freeman was then penalised for holding on, allowing the Italian out-half to leave just two points between the sides with 20 minutes remaining.
Cool heads were needed, but skipper Maro Itoje, who has had a dreadful 2026 campaign, was then yellow-carded for illegally knocking the ball out of Alessandro Fusco’s hands as the scrum-half looked to play it away from a maul.
What followed was end-to-end pandemonium, thrilling for the neutral but excruciating for fans of either team. In the end, it was Azzurri supporters who were left delirious, cheering to the rafters on 72 minutes.
Monty Ioane found Menoncello and he majestically tore through the English cover before giving the pass to the try-scoring Leonardo Marin. Garbisi’s conversion made it 23-18 and the upset result was on. They had the composure to see it home and their celebrations were unbridled.
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The teams
Italy: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Michele Lamaro (c), 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 18 Federico Ruzza, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Tommaso Allan
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Tom Roebuck, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Cadan Murley, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 San Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
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
Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
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