Will Italy take England's Scalp this year...

Italy manage to have at least one good game in them every 6 Nations. They have beaten all bar one of the 6 Nations sides now, and have come to beating them recently.

We all know the team that have not fallen in Rome is England. But the mighty French have tasted defeat on their last two visits to Rome, and the last two visits to Rome by England have only seen them win by a max of 5 points (2010 17-12 and 2012 19-15).

So with England eyeing up a 6 Nations Championship and secretly hoping for a Grand Slam to make amends for last year (and every year since 2003), does anyone believe that this year England could be Italy's champagne moment. Do you think Italy could be the next in line to derail the mighty Chariot's Grand Slam party.

Personally, I don't think they will... but as I always support the underdog when Wales aren't playing, I'll be throwing my support behind the Azzurri for this game.

I hope not as I am going to this match   

Quite possible. France, Ireland, England's scalp is overdue. They should have got it last year. I'll have to wait until we're a few games in before I can call it.

Italy have been pretty close a number of times recently, they can beat any team home or away now.

England expect to win this match every year. Sooner or later Italy will catch them out.

maestegmafia wrote:Italy have been pretty close a number of times recently, they can beat any team home or away now.

England expect to win this match every year. Sooner or later Italy will catch them out.

Maestegmafia do you actually believe that? I certainly don't.

I think Italy are good enough to beat any team at home but away? Certainly not.

No one is saying Italy will beat Wales on the weekend and rightly so. Italy are still quite a way from being a threat home and away in my opinion.

As this is in Rome, Italy will certainly fancy their chances vs England and rightly so.

England should win though.

If it was the first game of the tournament I'd give Italy a slight chance. As it is, I think England will win handsomely.

Italy really are quite a poor side as their ranking shows.

3 possible scenarios

1) England run away with it and sore a hatfull
2) England just win through in a boring match dominated by scrums and the whistle
3) Italy sneak through in a boring match etc etc

Italy winning is the least likely. I dont think they have the firepower to hurt England but they do have the ability to wrestle many teams down to their level, and then the results will be as much to do with kicking as anything else. Which makes the 2nd possibility most likely, just like the last few years.

I doubt it. Let's see what both sides have to play for first shall we? Can they beat Wales should be the first question asked about them as it is their first match

England's focus will be sharpened by the way Italy nearly won last year; no qualms at all about England getting the right result.

Duty281 wrote:England's focus will be sharpened by the way Italy nearly won last year; no qualms at all about England getting the right result.

It wasn't focused against Wales for the Grandslam, its like they learnt absolutely nothing from that game.

munkian wrote:

Duty281 wrote:England's focus will be sharpened by the way Italy nearly won last year; no qualms at all about England getting the right result.

It wasn't focused against Wales for the Grandslam, its like they learnt absolutely nothing from that game.

The point rather being that England's quality is of such a superior level to Italy's, whereas when comparing Wales-England, any difference is minimal.

Is it though ? Their backs out performed yours, if they get a decent 9/10 they'll be a worry

munkian wrote:

Duty281 wrote:England's focus will be sharpened by the way Italy nearly won last year; no qualms at all about England getting the right result.

It wasn't focused against Wales for the Grandslam, its like they learnt absolutely nothing from that game.

More pertinently it is England's last game of the championship. One they have invariably lost, particularly when the pressure of a championship win is on the cards.

By all accounts this is possibly Italy's best chance. England invariably start well and gradually lessen as a threat throughout the tournament.

Far too much Rugby between now and that match.
Still, to me this doesn't have the feel of an England loss to italy. Even if England get smoked by someone else this year, I don't think this is a loss. Or England could be going for the championship. But that is speculative. Let's see what happens before making predictions.

maestegmafia wrote:

munkian wrote:

Duty281 wrote:England's focus will be sharpened by the way Italy nearly won last year; no qualms at all about England getting the right result.

It wasn't focused against Wales for the Grandslam, its like they learnt absolutely nothing from that game.

More pertinently it is England's last game of the championship. One they have invariably lost, particularly when the pressure of a championship win is on the cards.

By all accounts this is possibly Italy's best chance. England invariably start well and gradually lessen as a threat throughout the tournament.

Is this Maes' word of the day???

England have lost their last game of the 6N once under SL, they have also won once so saying that we "invariably lose our last game" is demonstrably wrong

Logic suggests that Italy cannot win in Twickenham but then they just beat France last season so logic goes of out of the window.

i like these polls, but find it somewhat predictable that so many people vote whatever the option is against england. so far, 5 for an italy win, 1 for a draw and 13 for an england win. when england have never lost against italy? and england are hardly on a poor run of form. so what is the rationale for this hoped for english failure?

oh dear quins, you are starting to sound like The Saint.

haha

have no problem with any and all criticism directed at england after matches.

seems a bit premature to rubbish them before they play italy though

against NZ, wales, SA, sure, can see strong argument for england losing. vs italy notsomuch.

i agree

but the same silly poll has been started by the same OP for Wales v Italy.....you can see where this is heading.

I think the odds on Italy beating Wale sin Cardiff are very narrow

The odds on England losing to them at Twix, the same.

Just hope it is not a GS game for England because then i might not be so sure!

Scratch wrote:i agree

but the same silly poll has been started by the same OP for Wales v Italy.....you can see where this is heading.

I think the odds on Italy beating Wale sin Cardiff are very narrow

The odds on England losing to them at Twix, the same.

Just hope it is not a GS game for England because then i might not be so sure!

I believe Italy-England this year is in Rome, not Twickers.   

Duty281 wrote:

Scratch wrote:i agree

but the same silly poll has been started by the same OP for Wales v Italy.....you can see where this is heading.

I think the odds on Italy beating Wale sin Cardiff are very narrow

The odds on England losing to them at Twix, the same.

Just hope it is not a GS game for England because then i might not be so sure!

I believe Italy-England this year is in Rome, not Twickers.   

  

Last game, in Rome, blimey.   

Hope it isn't for a Slam now.

Scratch wrote:i agree

but the same silly poll has been started by the same OP for Wales v Italy.....you can see where this is heading.

I think the odds on Italy beating Wale sin Cardiff are very narrow

The odds on England losing to them at Twix, the same.

Just hope it is not a GS game for England because then i might not be so sure!

The OP (me) made same posts for Wales as well as England so that it is not seen simply as a WUM...

Both sides are capable of losing to Italy, one has (twice) the other been very lucky the last two away occasions...

Also, both of you note... England play Italy in ROME!!! The last two encounters of these pairing at Rome have been 1 score games.

No9 wrote:...........Also, both of you note... England play Italy in ROME!!! The last two encounters of these pairing at Rome have been 1 score games.

Rome, eh?
As long as Italy don't have a Prop named Caligula, England should win comfortably.

its a bananaskin. one which last year, if england had really put their best foot forwards, would have given them an insurmountable points margin going into the final game against Wales. so in a way england did slip up.

still cant see england losing to italy anytime in the next 20 years though. strength in depth in english squad far to strong for an aging italian one. Wales should feel the same way, albeit with thinner squad depth, but still enough to hold off anything italy can throw at them.

quinsforever wrote:its a bananaskin. one which last year, if england had really put their best foot forwards, would have given them an insurmountable points margin going into the final game against Wales. so in a way england did slip up.

still cant see england losing to italy anytime in the next 20 years though. strength in depth in english squad far to strong for an aging italian one. Wales should feel the same way, albeit with thinner squad depth, but still enough to hold off anything italy can throw at them.

quins, can you imagine Italy beating France again those 20 years?

france yes. clearly.

if france v italy still matters to france, ie they are in with a shot at winning the 6N, then no italy wont beat them in 20 yrs (as i think france are likely to get better and better over the next 2 decades due to money and more sensible FFR/LNR arrangements for french qualified players).

if france are already out of it they can lose to almost anyone

fair point, no team seems to lose interest as much as the French if they are out of the running.

Personnaly I can see England wining the first 4 games by a small margin and being spanked by Italy in the last game gifting the championship to Wales. Thus allowing the Taffies to again crow that they are the best team in the world, just unlucky when it came to playing SA and NZ for the last 50 years!

Italy always have trouble facing England because their gameplan is very similar to England... its just they're playing 3-4 notches down and therefore nearly always gets beat.

Italy are not a vintage outfit at the moment.. They were beaten by a poor poor ARG team which England brushed aside with ease 3 times this year and only scrapped past Fiji who are rather poor at the moment.

This England team is decent, not spectacular but decent... Italy would need to improve tenfold to be in with a chance.

Ireland, France, Scotland, Wales - they all have a strong animosity with England in rugby for a variety of reasons... Italy simply doesn't have this hatred and they don't seem to up their game like the rest do.

fa, you say that but I believe Italy have been building up a rivalry with their cross-borderers, Les Bleus. It's a shame Italy seem to have gone backwards, their game plan is poor and anti-rugby, and can be easily negated as Wales showed last year. When the Azzuri play Wales and then England, I can see it going the way in which the recent games with Argentina did.