Italy

The Italy national rugby union team, also known as 'Gli Azzurri' by their fans, is one of Europe's finest sides. Italy are one of the countries that contest the Six Nations Championship and they've featured in every edition of the Rugby World Cup.

Interested in learning about the Italian rugby team? On this page, we've detailed Italy's Six Nations campaigns, their Rugby World Cup placings and the country's rich rugby history. Scroll for Italy's upcoming fixtures, recent results and more.

Italy first entered the Six Nations in 2000, when the tournament formally expanded to welcome the Italian squad. To allow this, the tournament's format was updated and the name was changed from the Five Nations to the Six Nations Championship.

The Azzurri got off to a flying start in the Championship. In fact, Italy's Six Nations debut concluded with an impressive 34-20 victory against Scotland. Since then, they have enjoyed a series of sporadic wins. This includes victories against Wales in 2003, 2007 and 2022, as well as wins against Scotland in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015. They also defeated France in 2011.

Italy's best Six Nations finishes were in 2007 and 2013. The Azzurri won two matches in both Championships, which resulted in them taking fourth place - Italy finished above Wales and Scoland in 2007, and Ireland and France in 2013.

To date, Italy have won 13 Six Nations matches. However, they are yet to beat either Ireland or England in the tournament. Overall, Italy's Six Nations record has seen them finish at the bottom of the table in 18 tournaments. Additionally, Italy endured their longest losing streak between 2016 and 2021, when they failed to win a single Six Nations game.

Italy at the Rugby World Cup

Italy have never won the Rugby World Cup. Although they have competed in every tournament, the Italy national rugby union team is yet to reach the knockout stages. To date, they have crashed out during the pool stage at every World Championship.

Despite this, Italy's Rugby World Cup campaigns have seen marked improvement. Since 2003, the Azzurri have consistently won two pool-stage matches.

The closest Italy came to the quarter finals was at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. After wins against Romania and Portugal, Italy played their deciding match against Scotland. Despite their best efforts, the game ended 18-16 to Scotland and Italy exited the competition.

Conversely, Italy's worst Rugby World Cup was the 1999 edition of the tournament. Not only did the Azzurri fail to win a single match, they also suffered their largest Rugby World Cup defeat: a 101-3 loss against New Zealand.

The history of rugby union in Italy dates all the way back to 1911. However, the national team didn't play their first competitive game until 1929, when they lost 0-9 against Spain. Five years later, Italy became a founding member of FIRA (now known as Rugby Europe).

Following the end of World War II, rugby rose to prominence in Italy. As a result, the Italy national rugby union team improved throughout the 1970s and 80s. During this period, several Italian stars emerged and the team began to face high-class opponents like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Towards the turn of the millennium, Italy's rugby team began to perform well in the Rugby World Cup and they regularly beat opposition in the Rugby Europe Championship. When the side began to defeat teams in the Five Nations Championship, there was a clamour for them to join an expanded competition. Subsequently, Italy's Six Nations debut occurred in 2000.

Italy Rugby Players

Throughout history, the Italy national rugby union team has been blessed with talented players. Some of the finest examples include Sergio Parisse, Alessandro Troncon and Massimo Mascioletti. 

Today, the majority of the Italy rugby squad is based in the PRO14, representing Benetton and Zebre Parma. In addition, half a dozen players compete in the Top 14 and the English Premiership. Italy's current squad includes talents like fly-half Tommaso Allan, flanker Sebastian Negri and prop Simone Ferrari.