ITALY: 57 points – England 80-23 Italy (2001)
After their addition, which widened the Five Nations Championship to Six, Italy were heavily criticised and had their involvement denounced by fans and pundits alike. Historically the wooden spoon holders in the Six Nations, Italy have finished bottom of the table on 17 out of 23 occasions. However, the ‘Azzurri’ are in a current state of re-building, having ended their seven-year wait for a win, and with exciting players such as Ange Capuozzo and Paolo Garbisi instilling belief in their supporters.
This match took place long before that, with England putting Italy to the sword. Outclassing their opposition, England scored 10 tries, and ran away with the match. However Italy put up a fight, scoring the opener through Denis Dallan after just five minutes, and keeping the match competitive at 20-20 after half an hour. A half time score of 33-23 was unexpected by the Twickenham crowd, who were delighted with the second half performance.
Interestingly, this match also witnessed the England debut of Jason Robinson, as the winger came on for Ben Cohen in the second half.
Ben Cohen scored two minutes after the break, and the floodgates cascaded down on Italy. Mark Regan, Joe Worsley, Will Greenwood, Iain Balshaw, Johnny Wilkinson and Lawrence Dallaglio all scored tries in the 40-minute demolition. England were far too mighty for their opponents, and still remain a side to have never lost to the Italians.