England's Away-day Blues - Could They Finally Lose To Italy?

ByMatthew Hobbs

BBC Sport journalist

The Six Nations trophy catching fire aft information 3 is simply a sobering affinity for wherever England find themselves successful this year's tournament.

The title aspirations of 1 of nan pre-tournament favourites had gone up successful flames good earlier nan extremity of February.

Mauled astatine Murrayfield. Terrorised astatine Twickenham. Can pridefulness beryllium salvaged by beating Italy successful information 4 successful Rome?

Emerging victorious from nan Eternal City, though, is nary longer a straightforward task - peculiarly for visitors who person a dire distant grounds successful nan Six Nations successful caller seasons.

England stay unbeaten successful nan Italian superior but get connected nan backmost of 2 chastening defeats.

England's existent tally of 4 defeats successful 5 distant games is their joint-highest tally of losses complete a five-match play successful nan entirety of nan Six Nations era.

In nan 5 championships since past winning nan title successful 2020, England person won conscionable 4 of their 13 fixtures connected nan road, losing each 8 mixed successful Edinburgh, Dublin and France.

Over nan aforesaid period, France and Ireland person won 11 distant games. Scotland person won six.

England do person a 100% grounds successful Rome - but nan Azzurri are nary longer nan accommodating hosts of old.

Stamina, style, scrum power. World-class players for illustration Tommaso Menoncello successful awesome form. Defensive resilience and aerial threat.

Italy person already beaten Scotland astatine location successful this tourney and will beryllium targeting a first ever triumph against an England broadside whose vulnerabilities person been exposed successful nan past fewer weeks.

England are nan only squad successful nan Six Nations who person ne'er mislaid against Italy, but erstwhile England winger Ugo Monye believes that grounds will beryllium tested connected Saturday afternoon.

"I americium not judge if I've ever considered a Test against Italy arsenic a pivotal lucifer for England, but it is this year," he said. "Italy are a proper, due outfit."

England leader Steve Borthwick has made his feelings connected nan error-strewn performances of rounds 2 and 3 clear by making 9 changes, on pinch 3 positional switches - nan astir by an England squad successful nan Six Nations era.

The move is not without consequence arsenic untested combinations return to nan section successful a must-win match.

Were England to beryllium beaten for nan first clip connected Italian soil, they would recreation to Paris connected nan last play facing nan anticipation of 4 defeats successful nan aforesaid title for only nan 3rd clip since it expanded to 5 teams 116 years ago, and nan first since 1976.

England entered information 2 connected a tally of 12 successive wins and yet nan setbacks against Ireland and Scotland were of a squad abruptly unsure of their identity.

Chaotic starts. Scrambled gameplans. Individual mistakes.

The proposal that England footwear excessively overmuch is synonymous pinch Borthwick's threeyear reign though moving distant from a kick-based strategy has had adverse consequences successful caller weeks.

According to Opta data, England classed 2nd bottommost for kicks successful play (44) and bottommost for footwear metres (1,025m) crossed nan past 2 rounds and suffered convincing defeats successful both.

An onslaught that was only outscored by South Africa past twelvemonth has malfunctioned, conceding 16 turnovers astatine important times successful nan guidance 22, on pinch 32 turnovers because of unforced errors.

But possibly nan biggest failings connected England's rap expanse person been those of a ragged defence.

Borthwick's men person conceded 24 line-breaks truthful far, pinch 58% of those coming successful nan 10m channels. An unrivalled 30% of their 74 missed tackles person besides travel retired wide.

The concealed is retired - to hit England, play accelerated and play pinch width, a blueprint that Monye believes Italy are tin of replicating.

"Italy person nan opportunity to frighten England, because it would look that against teams that emotion to play wide England, astatine nan moment, don't person an antidote against that," he said.

"Italy person really developed and nan teams that for illustration to definitive themselves and play a wide crippled tin really get aft England."

The velocity of Italy's improvement has accrued importantly since nan presence of Gonzalo Quesada arsenic caput coach pursuing nan 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Aggression successful defence. Style successful attack. And nan expertise to compete for 80 minutes.

"Historically, Italy person been bully for nan opening 20, nan first half," said Monye, who won 13 England caps betwixt 2008 and 2012.

"But past erstwhile changes are made and you're into that last quarter, they mightiness dice off. We now cognize they're a apical squad correct crossed each 4 quarters."

The Azzurri's only existent failing successful this tourney truthful acold has been an inability to afloat utilization nan chances they person created.

They were nan only squad to people less points per sojourn to nan opposition's reddish area (0.7) than England (1.6) successful rounds 2 and three, resulting successful competitory defeats successful Dublin and Lille.

Missed opportunities against Ireland proved peculiarly costly successful a lucifer of good margins, though Italy's scrum erstwhile again stood out.

After smashing Scotland's battalion astatine nan Stadio Olimpico they fractured an Irish beforehand statement boasting three-time British and Irish Lion Tadgh Furlong astatine Aviva Stadium.

The Azzurri person won a higher complaint of scrums connected nan guidance provender (19%) than ever earlier successful this championship, including 2 against France.

England's scrum has besides been impressive. A cardinal conflict awaits.

"At times, Italy's scrum sewage nan amended of South Africa successful nan autumn," said Monye.

"It has to beryllium up location arsenic 1 of nan champion successful nan world."

2026 Six Nations

Saturday 7 March astatine 16:40 GMT

Italy, scrum and all, are apt to supply an moreover sterner trial connected Roman soil.

Quesada's location triumph complaint of 50% crossed each Tests is nan highest of immoderate Italy caput coach successful nan Six Nations era, pinch nan triumph against Scotland past period preceded by an autumn triumph complete Australia.

Italy's 27-24 nonaccomplishment to England successful their astir caller gathering successful Rome 2 years agone is their narrowest separator of conclusion successful each 35 years of this fixture.

The scoreline was admittedly flattering, pinch Italy scoring a converted Monty Ioane effort pinch nan timepiece successful nan red, though Quesada and his men will not person forgotten really that title began.

Italy scored 2 early tries to lead 17-8 pinch 30 minutes connected nan clock.

After half an hr against Scotland successful February, England were 17-0 down. Against Ireland astatine nan aforesaid stage, nan people was 22-0.

England simply cannot spend to make specified a slow commencement erstwhile again connected Saturday day against a broadside boasting formidable firepower.

Menoncello has been successful nan benignant of blistering shape successful midfield that saw him triumph nan subordinate of nan tourney grant 2 years ago, starring this title for mean summation (8.7m) and ascendant carries (75%).

He will resume his world-class business pinch nan returning Juan Ignacio Brex connected Saturday, against an England midfield successful Tommy Freeman and Seb Atkinson who person ne'er played together before.

Only France duo Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos person made much offloads than Italy inferior backmost Leonardo Marin (8), while number 8 Lorenzo Cannone has been nan competition's astir ferocious defender, mounting nan barroom for ascendant tackles (10).

England fought backmost successful nan 2nd half 2 years agone but Italy are now acold much accomplished astatine defending leads, closing retired nan crippled successful torrential rainfall to conclusion Scotland 4 weeks ago.

It would stay a immense daze for Italy to yet topple England for nan first clip successful 32 Test meetings, moreover aft nan nonaccomplishment of influential scrum-half Alex Mitchell and centre Ollie Lawrence to injury.

England scored 7 tries successful this fixture at Twickenham past year and person had 2 weeks to lick wounds and reconnect pinch nan winning look that brought truthful overmuch occurrence successful 2025.

The nonaccomplishment of Mitchell and Lawrence on pinch nan determination to driblet George Ford, Henry Arundell and Freddie Steward intends that England section an wholly different backline from nan 1 that faced Ireland.

Monye says that bringing successful fly-half Fin Smith, who started nan 2025 triumph against Italy astatine Twickenham, for Ford was nan correct telephone and believes England will beryllium targeting a convincing win.

"It's not conscionable astir consequence anymore; it's astir consequence and performance," he added.

"Getting excited astir this opportunity is nan only measurement to attack it. Otherwise, you'll play wrong yourself, you'll play pinch fear, and you'll play without expression."