Key events
11 mins: England get the ball within a couple of yards of the try line again, but Maddie Feaunati is punished for holding onto the ball and Italy can clear the danger.
9 mins: Excellent kick downfield from Lucy Packer earns England about 50 yards, with Italy having the line-out 20 yards from the try line.
TRY! And converted! England 14-0 Italy (Scarratt, 7 mins)
… But Emily Scarratt picks it up and finishes the job! Once again Emma Sing aces the conversion. England hugely dominant here.
6 mins: Italy fumble from a line-out and England have the ball at the scrum … from which they break with Venner again, who gets to within 10 yards of the try-line before she’s finally tackled by Ostuni Minuzzi …
TRY! England 7-0 Italy (Venner, 4 mins)
And England capitalise, with a passage of possession that is not entirely faultless, but ends with Venner running to the verge of the try line on the right and then repositioning herself on the left to eventually convert once the ball is moved back across. And it’s impeccably converted!
2 mins: Italy have the ball for a while, but England keep up the pressure and eventually force an error, and Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi keeps the ball but then passes into touch.
1 min: And we’re off!
Right then, all preambles done. Italy to kick off. Everyone poised.
Some very committed anthem singing there from Italy. I think they’re going to go into the game with a morale-boosting win the anthem-commitment battle.
Out come the players! Kick-off is about five minutes away.
Here’s Luke McLaughlin’s report on Scotland’s narrow win over Wales on the opening day of Six Nations action, aka yesterday:
The two teams, and match officials, in full:
England: Sing; Venner, Scarratt, Aitchison, MacDonald; Rowland, L Packer; Clifford, Cokayne, Muir, Galligan, Ives Campion, Aldcroft, M Packer, Feaunati. Replacements: Campbell, Botterman, Bern, Ward, Kabeya, Robinson, Shekells, Kildunne.
Italy: Ostuni Minuzzi; Muzzo, D’Inca, Rigoni, Granzotto; Madia, Stefan; Turani, Gurioli, Seye, Fedrighi, Duca, Veronese, Locatelli, Sgorbini. Replacements: Vecchini, Stecca, Maris, Tounesi, Franco, Bitonci, Stevanin, Capomaggi.
Referee: Precious Pazani (Zim).
Assistants: Jess Ling (Aus) & Zoe Naude (SA)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (NZ)
FPRO: Leo Colgan (Ire)
Pre-match reading: Here’s Sarah Rendell again with a Six Nations preview:
The England captain, Zoe Aldcroft, lifting the Women’s Six Nations trophy after defeating France to claim the Red Roses’ seventh successive title is the image everyone is expecting to see when the tournament concludes. England’s domination in the tournament stems from the introduction of professional contracts in 2019, since then they have not lost a game in the Six Nations and victory over Italy in their tournament opener on Sunday would bring a 30th consecutive win in the competition.
England are favourites for another clean sweep, but would a loss actually benefit the Red Roses in the long run, particularly with a home Rugby World Cup happening later this year? In their past 51 games, their only defeat came in the World Cup final against New Zealand in 2022. Some believe losing could offer invaluable lessons should they come under pressure again.
Much more here:
Hello world!
Will England win the Six Nations for the seventh time in a row, for the eighth time in nine, and for the 21st time in 30 editions in various incarnations? The journey to an answer starts at York Community Stadium today and ends (at the latest) at Twickenham on 26 April when they host France, runners-up in the last five years and the last other team to win it, in 2018. But the English have won 50 of their last 51 games, and that’s a hell of a hot streak.
Italy finished fifth in each of the last three years and it is fair to say they have not pushed the English particularly hard in recent years: England beat them 48-0 last year, 68-5 in 2023, 74-0 in 2022, 67-3 in 2021. But they have a new coach in Fabio Roselli, and will be hoping to demonstrate improvement, even if victory seems a stretch.
Anyway, welcome. I present for you the profiles of today’s teams from Sarah Rendell’s handy pre-tournament guide:
England
Coach John Mitchell Captain Zoe Aldcroft
England may have a new captain but they are expected to have the same result in this tournament with five wins from five to seal a seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations trophy. This competition will be important for the Red Roses to find their winning combinations and potentially a bolter or two for the Rugby World Cup squad later this year. Gloucester’s Emma Sing, the top Premiership Women’s Rugby point scorer for the 2024-25 season, is one such star who could break back into the team. England’s head coach, John Mitchell, said it would be “stupid” not to try different things in his match-day squads. “A lot of the combinations that you see in the Six Nations will be as a result of the end [the World Cup] in mind,” he said. “Will players get opportunities? Yes. It’s exciting because there is always room for a new player to create enthusiasm.”
Key player Alex Matthews. The headlines gravitate towards Ellie Kildunne and Abby Dow but Matthews is a player who consistently has 9/10 performances and does all the hard graft in the back row.
Prospects Fans who aren’t English will be pleading with any nation to take the Red Roses’ crown but inevitably they will win it again.
Italy
Coach Fabio Roselli. Captain Elisa Giordano
Since the heights of their second-place finish in 2019, Italy have slowly regressed in the Six Nations. They are able to stay in the fight for the majority of matches but tend to let the result escape them in the closing minutes. The man charged with producing 80-minute performances is their new head coach, Fabio Roselli, who is coaching in women’s rugby for the first time. He said: “Italian rugby has grown so much and we have a lot of potential to improve. We are focused on the process, on the hard work, on the play and our style. First up we have the best team in the world [England], it will be a big challenge for us but we are so excited.”
Key player Beatrice Rigoni. An unpredictable player, who is one of the best centres in the world, and has been honing her skills in the PWR this season.
Prospects Fifth place will be where they end up but they’ll cause headaches.
You can read the guide in full here:
