Italy 24-27 England
Date:
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Attendance: 57,000
Italy v England Match Reports
England came from behind to beat Italy 27-24 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The home side were leading 17-14 at half-time having scored two impressive tries through Alessandro Garbisi and Tommaso Allan. England kept in touch during the first half thanks to an Elliot Daly try and three penalty kicks from George Ford. After the break, England immediately took control and gained the lead through an Alex Mitchell try. Two further penalty kicks from George Ford extended that lead as Italy struggled to get a foothold in the second half. A late try from Monty Ioane meant that Italy earned a losing bonus point. A selection of match reports is listed below:
- Six Nations Guide: England dig deep to see off impressive Italy in Rome opener
- BBC: England come from behind to edge out Italy in Rome
- Guardian: England overcome Italy scare as Alex Mitchell pounces to earn winning start
- Daily Mail: Alex Mitchell's try helps the visitors overcome a valiant showing from the hosts in an entertaining Six Nations clash in Rome
- Sky Sports: George Ford kicks England to slender win in fightback against Azzurri
- England Rugby: England defeat Italy in Six Nations opener
Italy v England - Match Highlights
Italy v England - Match Stats
Italy (17) 24
Try: A Garbisi (11'), Allan (26'), Ioane (80'+5)
Conversion: Allan (13', 27'), P Garbisi (80'+6)
Penalty: Allan (5')
England (14) 27
Try: Daly (20'), Mitchell (45')
Conversion: Ford (46')
Penalty: Ford (16', 33', 38', 54', 67')
Man of the match: Ethan Roots (England)
Italy v England - Team Line-ups
Italy Team Line-up
Forwards
- 1 Danilo Fischetti
- 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi
- 3 Pietro Ceccarelli
- 4 Niccolò Cannone
- 5 Federico Ruzza
- 6 Sebastian Negri
- 7 Michele Lamaro (Captain)
- 8 Lorenzo Cannone
Backs
- 9 Alessandro Garbisi
- 10 Paolo Garbisi
- 11 Monty Ioane
- 12 Tommaso Menoncello
- 13 Juan Ignacio Brex
- 14 Lorenzo Pani
- 15 Tommaso Allan
Replacements
- 16 Giacomo Nicotera
- 17 Mirco Spagnolo
- 18 Giosuè Zilocchi
- 19 Andrea Zambonin
- 20 Alessandro Izekor
- 21 Manuel Zuliani
- 22 Stephen Varney
- 23 Federico Mori
England Team Line-up
Forwards
- 1 Joe Marler
- 2 Jamie George (Captain)
- 3 Will Stuart
- 4 Maro Itoje
- 5 Ollie Chessum
- 6 Ethan Roots
- 7 Sam Underhill
- 8 Ben Earl
Backs
- 9 Alex Mitchell
- 10 George Ford
- 11 Elliot Daly
- 12 Fraser Dingwall
- 13 Henry Slade
- 14 Tommy Freeman
- 15 Freddie Steward
Replacements
- 16 Theo Dan
- 17 Beno Obano
- 18 Dan Cole
- 19 Alex Coles
- 20 Chandler Cunningham-South
- 21 Danny Care
- 22 Fin Smith
- 23 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso