England vs Italy final score, result: Steve Borthwick gets first win as coach in Six Nations cruise
England powered past Italy to secure a maiden win under new head coach Steve Borthwick, and their first victory in the 2023 Six Nations in the process.
A dominant first 40 minutes set the platform, and although Italy crossed twice themselves in the second half, the hosts were never truly threatened and also managed 12 points of their own to record a comfortable win.
England began the first half in strong fashion, with their set-piece in particular coming to the fore. Their driving maul in the left-hand corner proved especially profitable, forcing their way forward after 13 minutes for returning flanker Jack Willis to score the opener. Italy’s defence was on the back foot for much of the half, and Lorenzo Cannone’s sin-binning left them a man short, with Ollie Chessum promptly crossing from close range.
With Italy still down to 14, England looked to the corner again, this time with Jamie George finishing off another try from rolling maul. While their attack was good, the England defence was also dominant all across the park, not allowing Italy any breathing space at the breakdown and keeping them scoreless to go in 19-0 up at halftime.
Italy began the second period brightly, and within minutes had their first points on the board, with prop Marco Riccioni finishing off a move that was sparked by full-back Ange Capuozzo breaking through the line. However, England hit back almost immediately, as another maul was illegally brought down short of the line. Penalty try awarded, England had a bonus point, and Italy were once again down to 14 men.
Italy responded by testing England out wide, throwing the ball around at almost every opportunity. Tommaso Menoncello drifted across from the left to burst through the middle, and Alessandro Fusco ducked under to score from the next phase. Replacements were introduced as the half went on, and two of England’s combined for the game’s final try, with scrum-half Alex Mitchell offloading for wing Henry Arundell to finish in the corner.
The bonus-point win helps England keep pace with leading sides Ireland and Scotland, who are the only two to still have maximum points in the competition. Italy weren’t quite as impressive as they were against France last week, but can still take plenty of positives from Twickenham, as England showed their championship mettle.
Steve Borthwick’s first win inspired by forwards
Centre Ollie Lawrence was England’s standout back, but as a collective unit, their starting pack had the game all-but won early on.
Willis, Chessum and George all crossed in the first 40 minutes, while Ellis Genge, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Dombrandt carried hard all game long, outmatching the Italian forwards and giving England plenty of positives to build on before they head to Cardiff in two weeks.
Ambitious Italy still searching for Six Nations form
Italy looked to play fast and wide from the first minute regardless of their field position, but the power England’s pack prevented them from building any sort of momentum for large periods.
The Azzurri’s indiscipline cost them dearly, particularly in the first half, with all three of England’s tries coming directly from penalties. Another followed in the second as England kept the visitors at arm’s length, and if Italy can front up and stay in these contests for longer periods, they could pose significant problems for all three sides they have left to play.
MORE: A profile of new England head coach Steve Borthwick.
The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.
England vs Italy full-time score
| 1H | 2H | FT | |
| England | 19 | 12 | 31 |
| Italy | 0 | 14 | 14 |
Tries: Willis, Chessum, George, Penalty Try, Arundell; Riccioni, Fusco
Conversions: Farrell (2); Allan (2)
England vs. Italy full commentary, highlights
FT: That’s all from us, we hope you’ve enjoyed that cracker of a game! England are on the board in this year’s Six Nations, while Italy still seek their first win of 2023. A week’s break follows this game before the international action returns, as Italy host leaders Ireland and England head to Wales. We’ll see you then!
Watch: Henry Arundell plants the ball down with his first touch to score England’s fifth try (UK):
FT: The new England era under Steve Borthwick is well and truly underway! A strong performance from the hosts against a valiant Italy side saw them score five tries to secure a bonus point, build off the back of a very strong first half showing. Italy were dominated in the first period, but started the second strongly, scoring first through Marco Riccioni. England soon marched up the other end and a penalty try gave them more points on the board, but Italy once more hit back through Alessandro Fusco. A late try for Henry Arundell rounded off the scoring, as England rack up their first win of the 2023 Six Nations.
80 mins: Italy gain a penalty with the final possession and Fusco kicks forward to the in-goal, but it bounces dead and we re-set for a scrum as the clock turns red.
79 mins: Capuozzo steps inside and darts through the middle, but he’s stopped just inside the England 22 and centre Lawrence gets over him to to turn the ball over!
77 mins: Regardless of the score, Italy simply aren’t giving up as Negri makes his umpteenth big carry of the day, and his fellow back-rows Manuel Zuliani and Jake Polledri both follow suit in midfield having come on earlier.
74 mins: Italy look to catch England out as they throw a line-out straight over the top. Allan catches but is immediately crunched by Lawrence, and Negri’s pop pass from the next phase is dropped by Fusco to concede a scrum.
71 mins: TRY – England 31-14 Italy! England seal the win with a brilliant finish! Substitute scrum half Alex Mitchell dummies and crabs across to the left looking for options, before popping the ball left to Arundell, who dives in at the corner to notch another five-pointer! Farrell’s sideline conversion hits the post, as England re-establish some daylight between the sides.
68 mins: A cross-field kick from Allan finds the big lock Ruzza surging down the right wing, but his attempted offload inside goes to ground! Henry Arundell races into the clear with the loose ball, but he’s brought back for the scrum, which the crowd aren’t exactly happy about!
Watch Alessandro Fusco finish off a Tommaso Menoncello break to score Italy’s second (UK):
65 mins: Italy look to play forward straight from kick-off and move the ball right. Negri charges through a hole and puts on a big step to reach halfway, before being hauled down by England’s scramble defence! Fusco drills a box-kick further forward, and Steward returns serve from the England 22.
63 mins: TRY – England 26-14 Italy! Italy keep coming forward and Menoncello ducks under a challenge to race into the 22! He’s scythed down short of the line, but the ball quickly comes back for the Azzurri and replacement scrum-half Alessandro Fusco darts over from dummy-half! Allan converts, and as we enter the final 20, Italy are certainly making things interesting!
62 mins: Capuozzo scampers down the left wing and into open space from Bruno’s offload, before finding Varney inside. He’s chopped down by a great tackle from Ben Earl, who’s on for Willis, and loses the ball in the process!
60 mins: Try-saver! Lawrence hits a great line, hard, and runs straight over the top of Allan before bursting into the back-field. He charges towards the line but Padovani gets across in cover, and dislodges the ball in the tackle! Italy pick up the loose ball as Brex and Capuozzo look to run it out of trouble, but they’re trapped in-goal and play comes back for the scrum.
58 mins: A long punt forward from Steward is recovered by Capuozzo, who looks to take on the defensive line before chipping ahead. He’s clearly kicked for himself, but collides with Slade and the ball bounces out over the sideline.
54 mins: A wide cut-out pass to Malins is missed by Menoncello, who was attempting to intercept. Malins skips down the touchline and kicks ahead, but Brex gets back to recover the bouncing ball for the Azzurri!
52 mins: Italy win a line-out on halfway, but Nicotera’s throw is overshot and the ball goes to ground before being recovered by George, and England are back in attack mode.
50 mins: PENALTY TRY – England 26-7 Italy! England’s driving maul powers its way forward again, but is illegally collapsed short of the line by Italy prop Ferrari. The automatic seven-point score is awarded, and Ferrari is sent to the bin just moments after coming on!
49 mins: The England props feel the full force of Negri, with Genge bumped off and Sinckler catching a knee to the face. A bloodied Sinckler leaves the field to be cleaned up, as England win a penalty from Italy’s next ruck phase.
Watch: Marco Riccioni scores early in the second period for the Azzurri (UK)
47 mins: Italy win the scrum on their own line, but no one is there to pick it up and Itoje snatches the loose ball. Farrell grubbers ahead, but Padovani gets back in cover and the Azzurri eventually clear!
46 mins: Strong carries from Ludlam and Lawrence off the restart get England back into good field position, but play is stopped due to a scuffle on the floor between Farrell and Negri! Everyone is soon involved, and it takes several to wrestle the two away from each other!
44 mins: TRY – England 19-7 Italy! The Azzurri strike first in the second half! Hassell-Collins’ try-saving tackle on Capuozzo doesn’t halt their momentum, and they work the ball to the centre. Varney scoots and goes close, before Riccioni picks up the ball from the base of the ruck to find the tryline on his return to the side! Allan’s conversion is good, and Italy are finally on the board.
43 mins: A bright Italian start to the second half sees them move the ball through the hands quickly from right to left and then back again. They make good ground with every run, and Capuozzo latches onto an offload to burst through the line, but he’s pulled up short in the corner!
41 mins: Farrell resumes the game with a long kick-off, and we’re back underway at Twickenham.
HT: We’re back for the second half, and can Italy find some open space and good field position to put some points on the board early? If they can, a comeback of epic proportions is not out of the question.
Watch Ollie Chessum score his first England try for their second of the day (UK):
HT: England 19-0 Italy. The half-time whistle goes with England well and truly on top at Twickenham, with three tries scored and another lucky to be ruled out. An even start soon gave way to England muscling up in the pack, with all three of their tries coming from forwards. Willis and George were both carried over the line by strong driving mauls, either side of Chessum crashing over from close range under the sticks. Italy have tried hard, but have hardly had a touch inside the England 22, and barring a minor miracle from the Azzurri, this game is England’s to lose.
40 mins: England hunt a fourth try as the clock ticks beyond the 40, and Farrell grubbers for himself. However he knocks the ball on attempting to regather and that proves to be the last action of the half!
39 mins: Italy are back to their full compliment from the restart with the return of Cannone, but Dombrandt’s massive carry off the kick shows just how dominant England have been in this first half.
37 mins: TRY – England 19-0 Italy! Now they’re over! England win an immediate penalty and kick to the corner once more. Again, the maul comes straight for the Italian line, driving straight over and George grounds it at the back to score! Farrell pulls the conversion wide, but England still have a very healthy lead now.
36 mins: England they think have a third! Malins picks up the ball in space and jinks inside his marker to scythe through the defence. He charges towards the corner before finding Van Poortvliet with a beautiful inside pass, and the scrum-half races clear to dot down! However, a TMO check shows an obstruction by Lawrence on an Azzurri defender, meaning the try is ruled out!
34 mins: England go close again after Van Poortvliet scoots from dummy-half to break through the line. He offloads to Genge, who is brought down short, and Farrell’s grubber from the next play is carried dead by Padovani!
32 mins: Farrell hoists a kick high which is tapped back by Steward, and although Italy are able to regather the ball inside their own 22, England’s defence immediately has them under the pump again.
29 mins: TRY – England 14-0 Italy! From their latest penalty, England power towards the line with Italy on the ropes. Genge makes big yardage before the hosts recycle the ball quickly, and Chessum barges over from close range to score their second! Farrell adds the two, and England have a comfortable lead now.
28 mins: YELLOW CARD! England win another penalty from the maul, and Farrell looks to the skies with a cross-field kick towards the right-hand corner. Steward has a massive height advantage over Capuozzo, but the Italy full-back does enough to prevent the catch. Play comes back for the penalty, and Azzurri number eight Lorenzo Cannone is sent to the sin-bin for repeated infringements!
26 mins: England have a line-out in the exact same position Willis’ try came from, but this time their maul breaks apart thanks to ferocious defence in the shove, although Fischetti is penalised by the man in the middle.
24 mins: Lawrence receives some heavy contact that is just under the threshold of high, with both sides’s defences firmly on top at the moment! A break in play sees Lamaro head off for further treatment though, this time for a head injury assessment.
21 mins: From the penalty, Italy’s maul is stopped short of the line and they re-work the ball to the right. Negri and Lorenzo Cannone both take big carries forward, but England are able to get over the ball and win a turnover penalty.
19 mins: The Azzurri gain penalty advantage and look to play some eyes-up rugby. Capuozzo takes a dart and almost breaks clean through, but he’s scythed down inside the 22 and play comes back for Allan to kick to the corner.
18 mins: Play halts for Italy captain Lamaro to receive treatment following that massive shot from Itoje, and the openside has his thigh wrapped up with a massive amount of tape.
16 mins: That try has sparked England’s defence into life too, as they smash Italy back in their first defensive spell after the restart. Lamaro and both Cannone brothers are hit hard, with the former nursing a very heavy knock at the moment.
13 mins: TRY – England 7-0 Italy! England find first blood! From a penalty line-out, the England maul rolls forward at speed and Willis breaks off with ball in hand to dive over! The flanker, on his return to the side following a leg break in this very fixture two years ago, opens the scoring, and Farrell adds the extras to extend the lead to seven.
11 mins: England get quick ball from the next scrum and Van Poortvliet darts down the blindside. He stabs a kick ahead which bounces right down the touchline without going out, and Menoncello races back to diffuse it under severe pressure from Malins!
8 mins: Italy win the scrum and look to play out to the right before Allan can clear. However, the fly-half instead dummies and charges into the defensive line, before Varney sends the resultant box-kick into touch.
6 mins: England go so close in the corner! A big carry from Lawrence gets the hosts on the front foot, and Farrell grubbers a kick to the in-goal. Malins and Hassell-Collins chase hard, but a scrambling Capuozzo is able to get there first before Padovani grounds the ball for a five-metre scrum!
5 mins: An England knock-on gifts Italy the game’s first scrum, but the Azzurri take too long to get the ball out following their initial shove, and are penalised by the referee.
3 mins: Italy gain and early penalty and kick to the corner, but their ball speed from the ruck is very slow and on the third occasion, England win a penalty of their own on the floor.
Kick-Off: Allan kicks off for the Azzurri, as Italy get this enticing clash off and running!
5 mins from kick-off: Here come the teams, and with the national anthems underway, we are ready and raring to go for kick-off at Twickenham!
10 mins from kick-off: Twickenham is full and awaiting the arrival of the teams, but there’s an air of caution about the atmosphere. With this resurgent, yet unpredictable, Italy side in town, anything could happen – particularly against and England side waiting for their first win under Steve Borthwick.
15 mins from kick-off: Italy have made two changes of their own, with Marco Riccioni and Edoardo Padovani coming in at prop and wing respectively. The latter will be hoping to link up with dynamic full-back Ange Capuozzo, just as the two did against Wales in last year’s tournament, combining for the try that won Italy their first championship game since 2015.
30 mins from kick-off: The major headline from the England team news comes in a key position for the hosts, with coach Steve Borthwick dropping fly-half Marcus Smith to the bench after last week’s loss to Scotland. Captain Owen Farrell steps into the 10 shirt, with support in midfield coming from Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade. Jack Willis also comes into the side on the openside flank of the scrum.
45 mins from kick-off: France didn’t leave it quite as late, but were still able to take maximum points from the Stadio Olimpico. Italy hit back strongly following three first-half scores from Les Bleus, and went into the lead following a penalty try and four Tommaso Allan penalties, but a late French try saw the champions sneak home with a bonus-point win.
60 mins from kick-off: England’s slow start last weekend saw Scotland race into the lead with, but the hosts hit back through two Max Malins tries. However, after taking the lead straight after the break, Scotland scored twice in reply, with Duhan van der Merwe finishing off the second of his two fantastic tries to seal a third consecutive Calcutta Cup victory.
75 mins from kick-off: Both sides are come into this game still looking for their first win, with England suffering a late 29-23 defeat to Scotland on the opening weekend, and Italy being pipped 29-24 by reigning champions France in Rome.
90 mins from kick-off: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of today’s Six Nations’ clash, between a new-look England and resurgent Italy at Twickenham.
England vs Italy confirmed lineups
Borthwick’s first major change to the England system he inherited comes ahead of this match, with Marcus Smith dropping to the bench and Owen Farrell starting in the number 10 jersey. The pair started at fly-half and inside centre respectively against Scotland, continuing their combination which previous coach Eddie Jones was so desperate to see bear fruit, but for this game, captain Farrell is supported by a new-look centre partnership of Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade.
Brace-scoring winger Max Malins keeps his place on the right edge, as does Ollie Hassell-Collins on the left, who had a quiet but solid debut against Scotland. Further changes do come in the pack, with Ben Curry dropped from the 23 altogether and Toulouse flanker Jack Willis, the only member of the squad currently playing outside of England, packing down in his place at openside.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England are all set for Round 2 as Italy visit Twickenham.#GuinnessSixNations | #ENGvITA pic.twitter.com/Dsgl5zYqhJ
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 10, 2023
England Starting XV: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Owen Farrell, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt.
England Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell.
Italy’s pack one many a ruck penalty against an indisciplined France side last time out, and sees one change ahead of this clash at Twickenham. Simone Ferrari drops to the bench, with Marco Riccioni coming into the starting front row. The Azzurri barging their way over to win a seven-point try was the highlight for a pack who toughed it out for 80 minutes, with Zimbabwe-born flanker Sebastian Negri particularly busy.
Deluso, ma sopratutto fiero di fare parte di questa squadra 🤝🏽@Federugby #insieme pic.twitter.com/9Ou7l3OGxq
— Ange Capuozzo (@CapuozzoAnge) February 5, 2023
However, the real eye-catcher with this Azzurri side is their enigmatic backline, which also sees a sole change from the France game. Ange Capuozzo at the back scored an exceptional try in the left-hand corner to close out the first half, and is joined in the back three by Edoardo Padovani, the scorer of Italy’s momentous winner against Wales last March. He replaces Pierre Bruno on the right wing, while at fly-half, Tommaso Allan continues in place of the injured Paolo Garbisi, having kicked 12 points from the tee against France.
Italy Starting XV: Ange Capuozzo, Edoardo Padovani, Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Menoncello, Tommaso Allan, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Marco Riccioni, Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro, Lorenzo Cannone.
Italy Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Simone Ferrari, Edoardo Iachizzi, Jake Poliedri, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Pierre Bruno.
🔵 #italrugby
Il Capo Allenatore Kieran #Crowley annuncia la formazione per il 2° match del @SixNationsRugby ➡️ https://t.co/nkVvMzqpa9
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇮🇹 #ENGvITA
📍 Twickenham Stadium – Londra
🏉 Domenica 12/02, kick off h 16 (ITA)
📺 @SkySport ▪️ @NOWTV ▪️ @tv8 #rugbypassioneitaliana pic.twitter.com/Uqw2lpXhbr— Italrugby (@Federugby) February 10, 2023
England vs Italy live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the major territories:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | fuboTV, Peacock, CNBC |
| Canada | — |
DAZN |
| UK | ITV One | ITV X |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
| India | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Hong Kong | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Malaysia | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Singapore | — | Premier Sports Asia |
USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours.
Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.
UK: Matches will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales.
Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.
India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.
England vs Italy odds
As expected, England are the heavily-backed favourites to get their first win of the 2023 Six Nations at Twickenham, with the highest odds at 1/12 from Sky Bet. Bet MGM’s odds are a staggeringly short 1/16, while Sports Interaction and Ladbrokes are both offering little over a dollar on a home win.
Italy are rank outsiders with the bookmakers, with both Sky Bet and BetMGM having them at 7/1. Sports Interaction and Ladbrokes both offer high odds on an Azzurri victory too, with the pair placing Italy at $7.79 and $8.00 respectively to win at Twickenham.
| UK (Sky Bet) | USA (BetMGM) |
Canada (Sports Interaction) |
Australia (Ladbrokes) | |
| England Win | 1/12 | 1/16 | 1.05 | 1.06 |
| Draw | 40/1 | 25/1 | 30.00 | – |
| Italy Win | 7/1 | 7/1 | 7.79 | 8.00 |
MORE: Scotland leave it late to snatch victory over England in Calcutta classic.