Watch Italy v England as the Azzurri host an England side desperate to get their 2026 Men’s Six Nations campaign back on track.
– Date: Saturday 7 March, 2026
– Kick-off time: 4.40pm GMT / 5.40pm CET (local) / 11.40am ET / 6.40pm SAST / 3.40am AEDT (Sunday)
– FREE STREAMS: ITVX (UK), Virgin Media Play (Ireland), TF1+ (France)
– Watch from anywhere: Try Surfshark VPN with 3 months free
You can watch Italy v England live streams for free in the UK, Ireland, France and Italy. Read on to find out how to tune in the game, wherever you are on planet Earth. Scroll down to the end of the article for a match preview.
Stream Italy v England from anywhere
Being abroad today doesn’t have to ruin your rugby viewing plans. Using a VPN is a smart way to avoid the geo-blocking restrictions.
There are plenty of good VPNs you can buy, but the tech experts at TechRadar reckon Surfshark is one of the best on the market.
Can I watch Italy v England for free?
Yes, there are several free streams for the final Six Nations match of round 4, including:
- United Kingdom: Italy v England is available on both terrestrial channel ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service. Both options are free to use but remember that you need a current TV Licence to watch/stream live television in the UK. ITV coverage starts at 3.35pm GMT ahead of the 4.40pm kick-off this afternoon.
- Ireland: Rugby fans in Ireland can watch this Rome clash for free via Virgin Media Play. You can stream through the app or the in-browser player. You can also tune into the match for free on terrestrial channel Virgin Media One. Pre-match build-up starts at 4.25pm GMT, with the game getting underway at 4.40pm.
- France: Ireland v Wales live streams are available for free on both TF1 and the TF1+ streaming service in France. Coverage starts at 5.30pm CET, with kick-off at 5.40pm.
- Italy: All Italy matches in this season’s Men’s Six Nations are available for free via TV8 in Italy.
Travelling overseas this weekend? Residents of the UK, Ireland and France can still watch their usual free streaming service with the help of a good VPN. Keep reading to find out more…
More international streaming options for Italy v England
- United States: A subscription to NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service will get you access to all of this season’s Men’s Six Nations matches (including this Italy v England live stream), and will cost you $10.99 per month. Kick-off is 11.40am ET / 8.40am PT this morning.
- Australia: Stan Sport is the place to go for Italy v England live streams down under. You’ll need a $20 per month Stan Sport plan (in addition to your base Stan subscription) to tune in, though the timing is antisocial for this one – kick-off is at 3.40am AEDT on Sunday morning.
- New Zealand: In New Zealand, Italy v England is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is 5.40am NZDT on Sunday morning, so get that alarm set now.
- South Africa: SuperSport will be your destination for Italy v England live streams in South Africa, and is available via DStv and streaming. The match gets underway at 6.40pm SAST this evening.
Check out our full guide to how to watch Six Nations 2026 for broadcasters around the world.
Italy v England preview
Not so long ago, this match would have been considered a banker for Steve Borthwick’s team. England have never lost to Italy and usually run out comfortable winners, whether they’re playing in Rome or London. This year, however, is different.
The optimism created by England’s 12-match winning run has now evaporated following comprehensive defeats to Scotland and Ireland. With a final day fixture against a rampant France still to come, the side need a victory in Rome to ensure they avoid their worst-ever championship finish. In short, one win from five would be unacceptable for a side with World Cup aspirations.
The problem is, Italy are currently looking as competitive as they ever have during their quarter-century in the tournament. While the opening weekend victory over Scotland in atrocious conditions at the Stadio Olimpico is their only win this year, they ran Ireland impressively close and – while they eventually lost the match – their forwards came close to matching a spectacularly good French pack. If Azzurri are ever going to end their duck against the English, today seems as likely time as ever.
Head coach Borthwick is clearly rattled by those demoralising losses, and has made nine personnel changes in the starting line-up. Most notably, he’s completely revamped the backline, with Tommy Freeman the only survivor from Twickenham – and even he’s shifted from the wing to outside centre.
Elliot Daly comes at full-back, Tom Roebuck and Cadan Murley start on the wings, and Seb Atkinson is at inside centre. Fin Smith gets the nod over George Ford at fly-half, and Ben Spencer is selected at scrum-half. Jamie George, Alex Coles and Guy Pepper are the other newcomers in the starting line-up.
Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada, meanwhile, welcomes back Nacho Brex, who missed the last two matches for family reasons. He’ll be reunited in midfield with Tommaso Menoncello, a pairing that could cause problems for England’s rookie partnership of Atkinson and Freeman. The only other changes to the XV are Lorenzo Pani taking over from the injured Ange Capuozzo at full-back, and Alessandro Garbisi starting alongside his brother, Paolo, at scrum-half.
But will they have enough to secure their first ever win over the visitors? You’ll have to watch Italy v England to find out.
Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.
Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.