England left in Ruins by Italians in Rome

Italy secured a historic first victory against England in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, running out 23–18 winners in Rome.

It was a scrappy start to proceedings, though England looked to assert early dominance, particularly at the scrum. However, it was the hosts who opened the scoring through the boot of Paolo Garbisi, who slotted a penalty in the 20th minute.

England’s attack struggled to find its rhythm initially, partly due to a stubborn Italian defence, but also a result of constant handling errors. Eventually, things clicked when Tommy Freeman crossed for the opening try of the game.

It didn’t take long for Italy to respond, and they did so in style; centre Tommaso Menoncello eased through the English defence to go under the sticks and restore the lead for the hosts. With limited time left on the clock in the first half, it looked as if England would head into the sheds behind, but fly-half Fin Smith had other ideas. He nailed a cross-field kick to Tom Roebuck, who was found in space on the right-hand side to score.

With the score 12–10 in England’s favour at the break, it seemed Steve Borthwick’s side were finally turning a corner after recent disappointing performances. Things looked better still when Smith nailed a penalty to stretch the lead to five points.

However, the game soon descended into chaos. Italian hooker Giacomo Nicotera was sent to the sin bin, but any potential advantage for England was short-lived; he was soon joined on the sidelines by Sam Underhill (starting only due to a pre-game injury to Tom Curry). While Underhill’s yellow card was under bunker review, Garbisi slotted successive penalties for the home side.

With less than ten minutes remaining, the Stadio Olimpico was sent into euphoria. Monty Ioane caught a perfect cross-field kick before offloading to Menoncello, who eased past Elliot Daly to hand the ball to Leonardo Menin to secure a famous win.

England captain Maro Itoje summed up his team’s performance when he was sent to the bin for a deliberate knock-on. The frustration from those in white was evident throughout the match, and this moment was merely the final boil-over.

Italy were exceptional—defending stoutly and attacking with brilliance. They were simply the better side from start to finish, and I wouldn’t rule out a bonus-point win for them in Cardiff against Wales next week.

England, however, appear to be a team in complete disarray. They were abysmal in defence and offered a limited threat in attack, plagued by unacceptable handling errors and a total lack of discipline. Several players seem to be below the required international standard. Elliot Daly is a glaring example; his defensive work rate fell well below par, reminiscent of his final days at Wasps where he was effectively known as a "turnstile" tackler.

Inevitably, questions are being raised as to whether Borthwick should be sacked by the RFU, though that invites the difficult question of who could possibly replace him. There are also doubts over whether Maro Itoje is the right man to lead, but simply put, this is a squad lacking in leaders. There are no players currently willing to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Meanwhile, for Italy, this could easily be the best side they have ever produced. Players like Menoncello proved yesterday just how far this team has come.