Here we take a look at the five greatest games between England and Italy during the history of the two sides. England have never lost to the Italians since meeting for the first time back in 1991 and have won all 21 games.
5) 1991 Rugby World Cup- Twickenham- England 36-6 Italy
The first ever time the two sides met up was on the biggest stage of them all at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, whereEngland were dominant, putting on an impressive performance. It turned out to be a crucial win for England, sending them through to the knockout stages, where they lost to Australia in the final.
4) 2001 Six Nations- Twickenham- England 80-23 Italy
Back in 2001, England put on a real show for their loyal fans at Twickenham, crossing the line with ease. It is the most England have scored against the Italians and was a key part into why they won that years six nations tournament. Both they and Ireland finished on eight points, but thanks to England’s superior point’s difference and tries scored, they were victorious.
3) 1999 World Cup Qualification- Huddersfield- England 23-15 Italy
A game that had a lot riding on it, who would finish top of the group for qualification to the 1999 World Cup. It was a surprisingly close game, after England dismantled the Netherlands 110-0. Both teams would go on to qualify for the tournament and would meet later that year.
2) 1999 Rugby World Cup- Twickenham- England 67-7 Italy
After the qualification, England put on possibly their best performance against the Italians at the 1999 World Cup. The 60 point winning margin is the highest between the two sides and happened at the World Cup. It turned out to be one of the only highlights for England during that tournament, as they crashed out in the first round of the knockout stages to South Africa.
1) 1995 Rugby World Cup- Kings Park, South Africa- England 27-20
One of the closest games between the two sides, where Italy pushed England all the way and nearly caused one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. It was back and forth, with tries and good attacking display beforeEngland just managed to come out on top. England qualified from the group with Western Samoa and reached the semi-finals of the 1999 tournament before crashing out to New Zealand.