It was another improved Six Nations for Italy in 2026, as they secured a fourth-place finish in the table, ahead of both England and Wales.
With victories over Scotland, and for the first time ever, England, as well as a close-run game against Ireland, it’s become very clear that the Azzuri have become a genuinely competitive side ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Six Nations summary
Their campaign got underway stupendously, beating Scotland 18-15 at the Stadio Olimpico, with tries from former Harlequins man Louis Lynagh and one of the players of the tournament, Tommaso Menoncello. Despite a late try from George Horne, the visitors were unable to steal victory in the Italian capital.
Next up, it was a trip to the Irish capital, as the high-flying Italians looked to cause yet another upset, this time over a bruised Ireland side that had been easily dismissed by France a week prior. Despite Italy heading into half-time in the lead thanks to the boot of Paolo Garbisi and a try from Giacomo Nicotera, Ireland found their feet in the second half, crossing the white line twice through Jack Conan and Rob Baloucoune. The match finished 20-13 to the hosts, allowing Italy to pick up a losing bonus point.
With Italy clearly on form, it would be hard to bet against them causing an upset in round three, but their opponents were the all-singing, all-dancing French superstars who were playing the game with such flair and pizzazz that no level of opposition hype would phase them. A first-half try from Ange Capuozzo was not enough to dent the flying French after scoring Italy’s first points with the side already three tries down. France fly-half Thomas Ramos was deadly from the tee, and led the line beautifully in attack, as the hosts went on to win 33-8 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.
Round four arrived, and Italy were bruised. Their bogey team, England, whom they had never beaten, were up next. But, despite their fresh wounds, there was a sense of quiet confidence within the Italian ranks. England had lost their last two matches and were set to field a much-changed, and arguably weaker XV. The Italians were stacked from 1 to 15, and it showed on the field. A Paolo Garbisi masterclass from the tee, a Menoncello try, and a late, dramatic score from Leonardo Marin were enough to secure a historic first-ever win for Italy over England. The match finished 23-18 to the hosts.
Italy had already succeeded in this tournament by the time the final round arrived. They couldn’t go any higher in the table, and it was unlikely that England would leapfrog them into fourth place. Hence, the motivation perhaps wasn’t quite there when they arrived at the Principality Stadium to face Wales in round five. Either way, the men in blue tested the much-improved Welsh outfit, who had once again become competitive in 2026. Three tries from the Azzurri in the second half weren’t enough to stop the proud Welsh from holding on to a well-deserved 31-17 win.
Standout players
Tommaso Menoncello: The Italian centre made an oustanding 363 metres, beat an incredible 20 defenders and won seven turnovers. The 23-year-old was the heartbeat of the side, both in attack and defence. His work rate around the park was second to none, as he lifted those around him to raise their game.
Simone Ferrari: The powerful prop was incredible in the scrum. He led from the front and put his head in the spokes time and time again. It was the Italian scrum from which their victories over Scotland and England were based, and his Player of the Match award in round one was well deserved.
Paolo Garbisi: Italy have not had as consistent a fly half since the great Diego Dominguez. Once again, the modern great Garbisi kicked well in open play and orchestrated each attacking play with expert precision. The 25-year-old has over half a century of caps for his national side, and is well on his way to making that a full 100.
Stat leaders
Tommaso Menoncello made the most metres per carry, averaging 8.6 metres from his 363 metres made. From his 400 minutes on the field, he made 11 line breaks and beat 20 players. In defence, he turned the ball over an impressive seven times, as well as completing 4 jackals.
Wing Monty Ioane was expressive with the ball in hand, making 11 offloads, second in the championship only to Matthieu Jalibert on 14. For all his excitement in attack, he was, however, disappointing in defence, missing 17 tackles across the tournament.
Giacomo Nicotera was pinpoint in the lineout, throwing 45 darts straight to the intended player, joint first with England’s Jamie George.
Regular substitute Mirco Spagnolo finished joint top of the tackling percentage table with a remarkable 100% after playing in 130 minutes of Italy’s Six Nations campaign. The only other player that could boast such a stat was Scotland’s Grant Gilchrist, who incidentally played roughly double the number of minutes as Spagnolo.
Results
Italy v Scotland (Italy won 18-15)
Italy v Ireland (Ireland won 20-13)
Italy v France (France won 33-8)
Italy v England (Italy won 23-18)
Italy v Wales (Wales won 31-17)