Can the Italian women join the men and make 2026 the year of a double first ever win over England? We’re about to find out.

The teams are on their way out, but not before Helena Rowland emerges from the tunnel alone to take the applause on the occasion of her fiftieth cap.

Pre-match reading

Give me a shout with all your thoughts and feelings on the match and anything else besides on the email. Don’t be shy now.

Italy are unchanged in the backs as Fabio Rosselli sticks with the personnel from the impressive Scotland win. The pack is a different story, with Alessandra Frangipani returning in the second row and Beatrice Veronese coming into the back row.

John Mitchell makes several changes to the England side. Emma Sing and Mia Venner come into the back three, with Ellie Kildunne returning to the wing berth where she caused damage to Scotland a few weeks ago. Helena Rowland earns her 50th cap in midfield alongside Megan Jones, while up front there’s a stable front row of Kelsey Clifford, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir. Demelza Short continues in the back row; while there’s interest on the bench with a potential debut for flanker Haidee Head.

A very late injury to Maddie Feaunati brings Haineala Lutui into the side, with Abi Burton shifting to Number 8 and another debutant in Christiana Balogun added to the subs.

Italy
15 Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi, 14 Aura Muzzo, 13 Michela Sillari, 12 Beatrice Rigoni Mannini, 11 Alyssa D’Inca, 10 Veronica Madia, 9 Sofia Stefan; 1 Silvia Turani, 2 Vittoria Vecchini, 3 Vittoria Zanette, 4 Valeria Fedrighi , 5 Alessandra Frangipani, 6 Beatrice Veronese, 7 Alissa Ranuccini, 8 Elisa Giordano.

Replacements: Chiara Cheli, Gaia Maris, Gaia Dosi, Giordana Duca, Francesca Sgorbini, Alia Bitonci, Emma Stevanin, Francesca Granzotto.

England
15 Emma Sing, 14 Mia Venner, 13 Megan Jones, 12 Helena Rowland, 11 Ellie Kildunne, 10 Zoe Harrison, 9 Natasha Hunt; 1 Kelsey Clifford, 2 Amy Cokayne, 3 Maud Muir, 4 Haineala Lutui, 5 Delaney Burns, 6 Demelza Short, 7 Marlie Packer, 8 Abi Burton.

Replacements: Connie Powell, Mackenzie Carson, Sarah Bern, Christiana Balogun, Haidee Head, Flo Robinson, Holly Aitchison, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald

It is certainly true that since 2024, Italy have improved consistently under Fabio Roselli’s stewardship. This has been perhaps most obvious this year as the head coach refreshed his squad with some younger personnel then even with a couple of defeats the promising performances continued, plus the bonus of the walloping of Scotland in the last round.

However, Le Azzurre and Roselli must now place this optimism fully in the path of the killdozer that is England. There were predictions coming into the tournament, not without some logical foundation, that due to injuries, some ageing players and a slight drop-off in form, John Mitchell’s team may not chew up everything in their way with the same cataclysmic gusto. Those predictions were wrong, and today Italy must contend with the Red Roses taking another opportunity to revel in contradicting this wrongness. The truth is they remain terrifyingly brilliant enough, as always.

Such is the nature of modern discourse on a number of matters that there is often a need to point out that two things can be true at the same time. Italy are about to find out.