England will look to continue to build momentum as they seek a third successive win with Italy in town.
Narrow victories over France and Scotland have been overdue tight successes for Steve Borthwick’s side, though they themselves have conceded that they are yet to produce their best in this campaign. With a reasonably friendly finish to the Six Nations, the hope for Borthwick will be that his side can open up their attacking game and eradicate a few glaring defensive flaws.
The England head coach leaves Marcus Smith on the bench and drops Henry Slade entirely for the visit of the Azzurri, who are looking to bounce back from a battering at the hands of France. The shipping of 11 tries in Rome punctured the optimism that had surrounded Gonzalo Quesada’s squad but there is still a lot to like about an Italian team that will again seek a first ever victory over their hosts.
Follow all of the latest from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in our live blog below:
England vs Italy LIVE
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England host Italy in the Six Nations | Live on ITV with kick off at 3pm
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Steve Borthwick's side must produce better attacking performance to keep title hopes alive
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Azzurri were bruised and well beaten by France last time out but pushed England close in 2024
England vs Italy LIVE
Saturday 8 March 2025 07:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of the final fixture of this penultimate Six Nations weekend. Italy are at Twickenham seeking a first ever win over the hosts, with England hoping to finally produce a complete performance after squeaking past both France and Scotland.
Kick off at the Allianz Stadium is at 3pm.
