Italy captain Michele Lamaro praised his side's dogged defence as they earned a first ever win over England on Saturday in a tense Six Nations thriller.

French referee Luc Ramos takes charge of Italy v England this afternoon, having been involved in a controversial on-field encounter previously with a captain

England were stunned 23-18 by Italy as they sank to third straight defeat at the Six Nations. Steve Borthwick’s side had been beaten by Scotland and Ireland in their previous two matches, and arrived in Rome after a week off invigorated, looking to get back to winning ways.

Steve Borthwick has abandoned his philosophy of continuity and cohesion in the hope that selection shock therapy will cure his England side's malaise.

In 2019 rugby in Italy was staring down the barrel of extinction: three home Six Nations matches at their 70,500-capacity Stadio Olimpico drew crowds of just 38,500 versus Wales, 49,700 against Ireland and 48,