It was a huge moment for Italy in the 2022 Six Nations when Italy ended a 36-loss run in the competition, killing off a seven-year hoodoo. Then in Round One of the 2023 competition, they ran France incredibly close, losing 29-24. There’s a lot of buzz about them – but have Italy ever beaten England in the Six Nations?

Italy men have never beaten England at rugby.

There was an anomaly in 1986 when the two played at the Stadio Olimpico and drew 15-15. However, it was as part of an ‘England 15’ tour and while the Italians handed out caps for the match, the English did not.

The pair have played each other 29 times in their history, with the first ever meeting a 1991 Rugby World Cup pool match at Twickenham (England won 36-6, with four tries to the hosts – two for Jeremy Guscott).

The biggest defeat for Italy in this fixture came in the 1999 World Cup – again played at Twickenham – when the English won 67-7 (a 60 point winning margin). But the most points ever conceded by Italy in this fixture was 80 in 2001 in London, when England won 80-23. There were ten tries for England, with a pair for both Iain Blashaw and Austin Healey.

The closest Italy have ever come to winning in this fixture with England? That came in 2008 and in 2012, on both occasions when Italy came within four points of England. The former, in 2008, was at the old Stadio Flaminio in Rome, when it finished 19-23. The latter, in 2012, was at the Stadio Olimpico and finished 15-19.

So how close are we today to Italy breaking yet another duck and finally defeating the English at rugby?

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