England experienced a historic first loss to Italy, suffering a 23-18 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico, which raises the concerning possibility of achieving their poorest finish in the Six Nations.
An 18-10 advantage, established through tries from Tommy Freeman and Tom Roebuck along with the contributions of Fin Smith, unraveled in the third quarter when Paolo Garbisi shifted momentum by successfully converting two penalties.
Italy capitalized on the sin-binning of Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje to deliver the crucial blow, with Leonardo Marin completing an exciting try along the left touchline.
Jamie George, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper, Ben Spencer, Fin Smith, Cadan Murley, Seb Atkinson, Tom Roebuck, and Elliot Daly are all set to start, while Marcus Smith will be on the bench.
The entire backline has been altered from the one that faced Ireland, with Spencer and Fin Smith taking the half-back positions, stepping in for the injured Alex Mitchell and George Ford, who has been omitted from the matchday squad.
