Beating the English is a 'big step' for Italrugby

A result that was expected, hoped for, desired and finally obtained. In spite of the mistakes, in spite of the difficulties, in spite of a fearsome opponent, Italia did not give up, never gave up and recovered the disadvantage to bring home the first victory in its history against England. At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, on the fourth day of the Six Nations 2026, it ended 23-18. Today's is "a big step forward in our journey," said a satisfied Gonzalo Quesada at the end of the match which, although not "perfect", was an important victory: "What they did today fills me with pride," he said referring to his players. The coach of the Azzurri, who was greeted by a long applause in the press room together with captain Michele Lamaro, is among the main architects of the construction of this group that is showing great maturity and mental strength that seemed unknown to many formations seen in the past. "We were not the favourites, but there were a lot of expectations," Quesada acknowledged to the microphones of Sky, emphasising that his players 'overcame the nervousness' generated by the high expectations and that 'it was felt'. For this, the step forward must be acknowledged: 'We had a plan but we had difficulty putting it on the field, because Italia put theirs into it, they operated at the limit of the rules,' but despite this, Italia knew how to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves to them and did not let themselves be put down when the English went ahead. Just as two years ago, at the end of the first half the teams were close in the score (now 10-12 after 40 minutes) but then England had taken the lead, this afternoon at the Olimpico, on the other hand, 'we managed the mental situation' and did so 'against a truly great team'. In fact, the English had come to Rome to win, not for a passerelle, and above all aiming for the team that was considered the best. Congratulations to all the players: "Those who started from the bench did very well, we knew they could make a difference and all those who came in did what they had to," Quesada continued. The Azzurri will have time to celebrate and then immediately head to their last fixture: "In Cardiff we have a huge challenge ahead of us against Wales," especially after what they showed this weekend against Ireland. If Quesada has the task of 'calming the waters', the players cannot contain their joy.

"I still can't believe it, I'm very excited. I dreamt all week of this moment and of winning the title of player of the match, and it happened,' said Tommaso Menoncello at the end of what he described as 'a very tough match' but 'we worked very hard and we did it'. Tommaso thanked his teammates and Paolo Garbisi - 'perfect on the foot' - but he was certainly one of the protagonists of this victory.

"It is beautiful. We had a very difficult game. We gave ourselves a hard time, but in the end today we were not only competitive but also brought home the victory," added captain Michele Lamaro, whose enthusiasm is contagious.

"When we took the yellow, we thought we have to hold. Then when they took a yellow, we said to ourselves, we mustn't just hold" and a few minutes later England picked up a second yellow card, and that was perhaps the key point of the game: "They are not a team that loses its head but we took advantage of the pressure we felt they had on them" and "our unity allowed us to win the game".

"It's unbelievable. England is always a strong team and we had never beaten them. I am happy. The boys did an incredible job. It's one of the best moments of my career, I hope to experience more like this," Tommaso Allan concluded. His wish, we feel like saying, applies to everyone.