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England vs Italy Preview & Tips - England to keep Six Nations Championship hopes alive with bonus point win against Italy

By Ben Darvill

05 Mar 2025

Ben Darvill 05 Mar 2025

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England vs Italy Six Nations Preview & Tips
England have won their last two Six Nations matches
Preview, stats & head to head

Tommy Freeman of England (Getty Images)

England vs Italy Preview & Tips

England rode their luck against Scotland in the last round as they beat their old rivals by the skin of their teeth in an enthralling match.

England vs Italy Preview & Tips
Head To Head
England Form
Italy Form

Italy were humiliated by France in their last game as they slipped to a 73-24 loss on their own patch.

England have won their last two matches in the competition
Tommy Freeman has scored in all three of his appearances in the competition

Head To Head

The last 10 meetings between the side has seen England win each time as they have continued their dominant run of form against the Italians.

England Form

England knew they needed to find a way to build on their stunning 26-25 win over France in game two, with defeat to Scotland in their third match one that would have many calling their win over the French a fluke.

The jury is very much still out on whether they took a step forward against Scotland as they secured a 16-15 win. While the win was the most important thing, they looked tentative with the ball in hand, while Scotland continually cut them open when they shifted the ball. Had Scotland have gone after England a little more, the scoreline would likely have been different.

However, tournament rugby is all about results, and England still find themselves in the equation to win the Six Nations despite losing to Ireland in round one. A win in this one coupled with defeat for the Irish against France would see the competition blown wide open for a number of sides.

A bonus point win against the Italians at home is the least of what Twickenham will expect. Marcus Smith has been dropped to the bench for the match as Steve Borthwick continues to look for a way to get the best out of his team. One mainstay throughout the tournament is Tommy Freeman, who has scored in each of England's matches so far. I back him to score in this match as England secure the bonus point.

Italy Form

Italy were nowhere near good enough in their last game as they were completely outplayed by France in a 73-24 loss.

Losing to the French when they are in that sort of mood is no embarrassment, but the manner in which the Italians capitulated felt like a number of steps back for an Italy side that has been making great strides in recent years.

Travelling to take on England at Twickenham will likely prove a task too large for Italy. The home side are chasing a bonus point win and a shot at the Championship, and this will see the travelling side put under all kinds of pressure. England's work in the forwards has always been strong, and they will likely look to put Italy's set piece under a lot of pressure. If Italy's lineout and scrum collapses, expect to see a comfortable win for the home side.

Verdict

England v Italy

I am backing England to secure the win in this one as Tommy Freeman crosses for a brace of tries against the Italians.

England

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