We look at the history of Tests between Italy and England
Italy have faced England on 33 occasions in men’s Test rugby and in 2026 registered their first-ever win.
The Italians beat England 23-18 at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2026 Six Nations thanks to tries from Tommaso Menoncello and Leonardo Marin.
Three penalties from fly-half Paolo Garbisi sealed the win for Gonzalo Quesada’s men to make history.
Before today, England had a perfect record against Italy.
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.
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