Italy vs England Predictions, Six Nations Betting Tips & Bet Builder
Scott Borthwick's reign faces a potentially decisive couple of weeks in the Six Nations, starting with a trip to Rome that has banana skin written all over it.
This week was supposed to be the calm before the storm, a more straightforward game before a huge Grand Slam decider against France, but after two successive losses, England are there for the taking for an Italy side alreday with one win under their belts.
England start the game as favourites with sports betting sites, and we've picked out three betting tips ahead of the game.
Italy vs England Tips
Here’s a look at our rugby tips, along with the odds and best free bets for Saturday's game.
Tip 1: England to win -11 handicap
England are under pressure coming into this one, and a trip to Rome isn't the walkover it once was, as proven by Scotland's defeat there on the opening day.
But with Borthwick's job on the line and several careers potentially in question, I expect England to come out with a rocket up them and claim the win.
They might have been pretty meek in defeats to Scotland and Ireland, but only France have had more 22m entries in the tournament so far, while only Italy average fewer points per entry.
That suggests England are not a million miles away from turning things around, and having had a fallow week to fine-tune a few aspects of their game, I would expect them to be a bit more polished this weekend.
Tip 2: Tommy Freeman & Cadan Murley to score
Borthwick has rung the changes this week, with Ollie Lawrence's injury forcing Freeman back to 13 and Murley returning to the wing in the absence of Freeman and Henry Arundell.
Murley has had a frustratingly stop-start time in England colours since a try-scoring debut last year, but has three in four games to date and has a big chance to try and establish himself here, given Arundell's weaknesses on display at times during the tournament.
If the weather holds for the game, I expect England to try and play a bit more rugby than they have but they do rely a lot on their wide players to chase kicks and challenge in the air, which brings him more into the game.
Freeman has yet to convince at centre and perhaps isn't the threat he is out wide, but he is a natural try-scorer and if given a chance, you fancy him to score.
Tip 3: Italy +8, Italy winning at HT, Henry Pollock to score
Okay, so maybe tipping an Italy handicap win doesn't make total sense when I've already tipped England to win on a -11 handicap, but I've gone for a bit more of a longshot with this bet builder.
The reason for that, is having watched the games against Scotland and Ireland, I just think something has been off with England this tournament and this is a much tougher game than it looked a few weeks ago.
Italy have given a good account of themselves in beating Scotland in Rome, losing narrowly to Ireland in Dublin and then being beaten by France, so that home advantage could count for a lot this weekend.
England should win, but if their disciplinary problems persist, Italy will smell blood and could push the visitors very close.
I can see Italy coming out hard and capitalising on the lack of confidence in the England side in the first-half to claim a lead, but England's bench should be enough to help them get a narrow win.
I think Henry Pollock is slightly unlucky to lose his starting position this week having shown the threat he offers in the loose in the past few weeks, so I expect him to make an instant impact this week.
Where to Watch Italy vs England
The Italy vs England Six Nations rugby match will be shown live for viewers in the United Kingdom, with free-to-air television coverage confirmed in the UK broadcast listings on wheresthematch.com for this international fixture.
TV Channel
The Italy vs England game will be broadcast live on ITV1 in the United Kingdom, meaning viewers can watch the full Six Nations match on free-to-air television without needing a subscription to a paid sports channel.
Live Stream Information
Fans in the UK can stream Italy vs England live through the ITVX streaming service, which simulcasts ITV1 coverage online and allows viewers to watch the match on phones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs after registering for a free ITV account.
Kick-off time
The Italy vs England Six Nations fixture is scheduled to kick off at 4:40pm, giving supporters an afternoon international rugby start time as part of the championship round taking place this weekend.
Fixture date
The Italy vs England match will be played on Saturday 7 March 2026 as part of the penultimate round of fixtures in the 2026 Guinness Six Nations Championship schedule.
Stadium
The match will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which serves as the home stadium for Italy’s national rugby team when hosting Six Nations fixtures.
More Betting Tips
Check out below for more Six Nations betting tips and predictions for the rest of the weekend's action.
