On Sunday, March 9, 2025, England delivered a commanding performance against Italy, winning 47-24 at Twickenham during the Six Nations championship. This victory saw England score seven tries, maintaining their hopes for the championship crown. The match opened energetically with England's Tom Willis crashing over for the first try after just four minutes. Even though Italy put forth more fight than their previous defeat to France (73-24 two weeks prior), they struggled to ever threaten England’s lead.
England found themselves 21-17 up at the half, thanks to tries from Willis, Tommy Freeman, and Ollie Sleightholme. Italy's Ange Capuozzo had put the visitors on the board after 15 minutes, showcasing their resilience. Freeman replicated England’s offensive prowess by securing their second try, only for Ross Vintcent to bring Italy back within reach with their second try shortly thereafter.
After halftime, England asserted their dominance, with Marcus Smith, Tom Curry, Sleightholme, and Ben Earl adding to the try tally, showcasing their attacking strength. Fin Smith, performing admirably at flyhalf, converted six of his seven attempts, solidifying the team's advantage. The emotional weight of the match was compounded by Jamie George’s achievement of earning his 100th England cap.
Despite England's attempts to push the score higher, Italy's Tommaso Menoncello managed to cross the try line after 70 minutes, giving Italy their third score and momentarily energizing the visitors. Nonetheless, it was Earl who closed the match with England's seventh try mere moments before the final whistle.
With the win, England stands at 15 points within the Six Nations, just one point behind France, who lead the table at 16 points, and one point above Ireland at 14. They will travel to Cardiff next Saturday, March 15, 2025, for their penultimate match of the tournament. England hopes to grasp the opportunity to capture their first title since 2020 if they can secure maximum points against Wales. Yet, with France's impressive points difference of plus-106 compared to England's plus-20, the road to the championship remains challenging.
“We wanted to free ourselves up and put some scores on the board,” said Ollie Chessum, England's man of the match. “We always want to score points but have found it difficult in the last couple of games. The coaches allowed us to be free. We just have to take care of what we can next week. Wales away is always a massive game down there.”
The Six Nations continues to build momentum as England aims to take the next step toward reclaiming their place at the top of European rugby.