England v Italy, Six Nations Championship, Twickenham, February 7
History on England's side
John Griffiths
February 1, 2009
England and Italy compete for the ball at Twickenham, England v Italy, Six Nations Championship, Twickenham, London, England, February 10, 2007
England and Italy compete for the ball during their last Six Nations clash at Twickenham in 2007 © Getty Images
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There have been fourteen Test matches involving the nations since 1991. England has won each one. Indeed, England is the only team among the Five Nations that Italy has never beaten.

The game is the eighth of the series staged at Twickenham and England's 250th Test at the ground since 1910.

England's 80-23 triumph at Twickenham in the 2001 Six Nations match is the highest score and biggest winning margin of the series. The result also stands as the record score for any International Championship match.

Italy's 23 points that day is their highest score against England, though their best result was the four-point (19-23) defeat in Rome last year.

England's ten tries at Twickenham in 2001 is the most by a team in a match in this series. The best Italian try return is three at Twickenham in 1996.

Jonny Wilkinson set the mark for the highest individual score in a match. He gathered 35 points at Twickenham in 2001 to set the current individual record for most points by a player in any International Championship match. Diego Dominguez scored 15 points for Italy at Huddersfield in 1998.

Austin Healey scored the first of the three try hat-tricks by England in the matches, crossing in Rome in 2000. Jason Robinson repeated the feat in Rome in 2004 and Mark Cueto at Twickenham in 2005. No Italian player to date has scored two tries in a match.

Jonny Wilkinson heads the list of overall scorers in the series with 130 in seven appearances. Diego Dominguez, who played seven times against England, holds the corresponding record for Italy with 51.

Austin Healey is the leading overall try scorer with six. Three Italian players have collected two tries in the series.

Three players have appeared in nine of the matches: Jason Leonard and Matt Dawson for England and Alessandro Troncon for Italy.

England-Italy results in the Six Nations:
2000 England 59-12 (Rome)
2001 England 80-23 (Twickenham)
2002 England 45-9 (Rome)
2003 England 40-5 (Twickenham)
2004 England 50-9 (Rome)
2005 England 39-7 (Twickenham)
2006 England 31-16 (Rome)
2007 England 20-7 (Twickenham)
2008 England 23-19 (Rome)

In 1986, a full-strength England XV were held to a 15-all draw in Rome in a match that only Italy recognised as a cap match.

The Azzurri also gave caps for three matches against England under-23 sides between 1975 and 1982, and for the match in 1985 against England B. The results of these games were as follows: 1975 England u-23 29-13 (Gosforth); 1979 Drawn 6-6 (Brescia); 1982 Italy 12-7 (Padua); 1985 England B 21-9 (Twickenham).

Neither the RFU nor the FIR awarded caps for the Italy XV - England XV game in Rovigo in 1990, even though the teams fielded were of Test standard. The English won 33-15.

  • Click here for England's complete Test record in Statsguru

  • Click here for Italy's complete Test record in Statsguru

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