5 Italy Players England Fans Should Look Out For in Sunday's Six Nations Match

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For the best part of a decade, Italy would be resoundingly beaten by the home nations and France. They were the odds-on favourites for the Six Nations wooden spoon, and went seven years without a win in the competition from 2015 to 2022.

However now, Italy have ended their losing streak, after beating Wales in the final round of last years' competition, and looked very impressive against France in this year's opening fixture.

The 'Azzurri' took France to the wire, and were even leading throughout the contest. 'Les Bleus' narrowly avoided the upset, with Italy taking home a losing bonus point in the 29-24 defeat.

Italy will again be without their fly half talisman Paolo Garbisi, but do still bring an imposing team to London. Here are five Italy stars England fans need to know before this Sunday's game.

The full-back has been making a name for himself within recent years. Making the headlines after his breath-taking assist, for Edoardo Padovani's match winning try against Wales, Capuozzo has become a fan favourite for Italy. Born and raised in Le Pont-de-Claix, south-east France, Capuozzo qualifies to represent Italy through his grandparents.

The 23-year-old has been entertaining French rugby fans, and has been tearing up the Top 14 for Toulouse since signing from Grenoble last year. Capuozzo is a tricky side-stepper, with unmatched agility and an explosive turn of pace. Capuozzo upset his regular France admirers, with a try last weekend. Weaving past Gregory Alldritt, Capuozzo dived with one hand to score before being tackled into touch.

Definitely a man for England fans to keep an eye on, Capuozzo will be looking for the slightest gap in the English defence to run through this coming Sunday.

A recognised name for England's fans from the West Country, Stephen Varney has been a mainstay in Gloucester's side since 2019. Since graduating the Cherry and White's academy at Hartpury University, Varney has had his name sung around the Shed, at Kingsholm Stadium.

A nippy scrum half, with an accurate pass to get the ball moving at pace, Varney is Italy's orchestrator in attack. England fans will be familiar with Varney, as the Welsh-born scrum half has been providing the Premiership with tricky footwork, and an astute awareness when dismantling the league's defensive lines.

Another familiar face for fans of the Premiership, Tommaso Allan has been the understudy for Marcus Smith at Harlequins this season. A favourite at the Stoop, Allan will be all-but home this Sunday, as he makes the short trip across the Chertsey Road bridge to Twickenham Stadium.

The fly half will be getting an extended opportunity for his country, due to the injury absence of Paolo Garbisi. Allan performed well against France, keeping his side in the contest with a serious of well taken penalties. England need to avoid giving away cheap penalties, as Allan can slot comfortably from the tee, to keep the Italian scoreboard ticking over.

Italy's captain wears his heart on his sleeve, every time he represents his country. A fearless tackler, who is also technically astute in the breakdown, Lamaro possess the rare combination of brains and braun. Lamaro's rugby knowledge and understanding of the contact area sees him rarely loose a battle up-front. These qualities shone in the opener against France, as he chopped down 10 successful tackles, and made 12 dominant ball carries.

A born leader, at just 23-years-old was entrusted to be the heir to Sergio Parisse's vacated captaincy for Italy. Lamaro co-captains Benetton in the United Rugby Championship, and idolised Richie McCaw growing up. Coincidentally, Lamaro's Italian captaincy was a baptism of fire against the All Blacks, in which he proudly rose to the occasion.

Built like a tank, but with the engine of the sportscar who he shares the name. Simone Ferrari is a powerful prop, who can move around the pitch at unexpected speeds. Another star in the Benetton squad, Ferrari has played his rugby in Treviso since 2015. At 124kg, the prop is an imposing figure in the scrum. With a powerful leg drive and the skills to turn a scrum on it's head, the likes of Kyle Sinkler and Ellis Genge need to be aware of the incoming 28-year-old.

One of the Six Nations most compact and unmoveable forwards, Ferrari's presence in the contact zone is instantly recognised. Once he's over the ball, it's unlikely that a counter-ruck could shift him. England need to look out for this threat, as Ferrari will be looking to upset the scrum in the early goings at Twickenham.