How to watch Italy vs England: live stream Six Nations 2024 online now, team news

George Ford of England applauds the crowd ahead of the Italy vs England Six Nations 2024 clash
(Image credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Watch Italy vs England live stream

Italy have never beaten England in men's rugby union internationals and the latter are still riding high after a better-than-expected World Cup campaign. But with some key names missing from their XV, could today's visiting team slip up on a potential Six Nations banana skin? It's certainly a beautiful day for a game of rugby in Rome, with the sun shining through and conditions nice and dry.

The Italy vs England match at the 2024 Six Nations is free to watch on ITV in the UK and Virgin Media in Ireland. Peacock TV and DAZN and are the live streamers in the USA and Canada respectively. Down Under, it's Stan Sport in Australia and Sky Sport in New Zealand. And you can use a VPN to watch your chosen stream from wherever you are in the world.

Italy vs England live stream: Preview

The opening game of the 2024 Six Nations for these two teams will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The start time is at 2.15pm GMT (9.15am ET / 6.15am PT) today (Saturday 3rd February), which is 1.15am AEDT in Australia on Sunday morning.

Confidence in the England camp will be justifiably high following a World Cup in the autumn that would have far exceeded their expectations. With some pundits predicting a sorry group-stage exit, England came within one painful point of making the final, losing out to South Africa with a penalty kick in the last minutes of the game.

But there's one gaping hole in the England XV that so impressed at the RWC. Captain and all-time record points scorer Owen Farrell has decided to sit this year's Six Nations out for mental health reasons. And with young firebrand Marcus Smith also unavailable through injury, that gives George Ford the chance to make himself England's first-choice number 10, with uncapped 21-year-old Finn Smith his replacement. Centre Ethan Roots and back-row Fraser Dingwall also make their debut today.

Italy were never expected to make it the the quarter-finals at the World Cup, having been drawn against France and New Zealand. The Azzurri are currently on an unenviable streak of eight successive Six Nations wooden spoons and lost five from five last time around.

They'll be desperate to turn the form book around this year, and starting in Rome gives them the best chance to do so. Creative star Tommaso Allan is set to play at fly-half this weekend, and much is expected from 21-year-old winger Tommaso Menoncello who will hope to trouble England's sometimes vulnerable wide defence.

You can watch all 2024 Six Nations games online for FREE, including this one. So keep reading to discover where to live stream Italy vs England in your country and from anywhere in the world.

Italy vs England teams:

Italy: 15-Allan, 14-Pani, 13-Brex, 12-Menoncello, 11-Ioane, 10-Garbisi, 9-Garbisi; 1-Fischetti, 2-Lucchesi, 3-Ceccarelli, 4-Cannone, 5-Ruzza, 6-Negri, 7-Lamaro (c), 8-Cannone

England: 15-Steward, 14-Freeman, 13-Slade, 12-Dingwall, 11-Daly, 10-Ford, 9-Mitchell; 1-Stuart, 2-Marler, 3-George (c), 4-Itoje, 5-Chessum, 6-Roots, 7-Underhill, 8-Earl

Free Italy vs England live streams

This and every Six Nations game will be shown for free in the UK and Ireland.

In the UK, the free Italy vs England live stream is on ITVX. While in Ireland it will be streamed for free on Virgin Media Player.

If you're outside of the UK or Ireland this weekend, you can always try using a VPN to get around geo-restrictions that you'll face when overseas. We recommend ExpressVPN as it's really easy to use, fantastic at unblocking restricted streams and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you change your mind. 

Don't worry if you've never used a VPN before – it's really easy, and we have full instructions below.

Watch Italy vs England live stream from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Italy vs England live stream while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you.

You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though. It's a straightforward piece of software that sets your device to appear as if it's in a different country, allowing you to watch Six Nations live streams from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for streaming sport. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

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How to use a VPN to stream Italy vs England

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. So for Six Nations rugby, you may wish to choose a server in the UK.

3. Then head over to ITVX on your browser or device and enjoy the free Italy vs England live stream!

Watch Italy vs England in the UK

You can watch Italy vs England live on ITV1 on TV this Saturday afternoon at 2.15pm GMT.

That means you can also stream the game online and for free on the channel's ITVX platform, available on browsers, smartphone app or a variety of streaming devices.

To stream live on ITVX, you should have a valid TV licence. While that isn't required for watching the game on catch-up. 

Remember: use a VPN to access ITVX when travelling outside of the UK.

Watch Italy vs England match in Ireland

This Six Nations game is being shown on the free-to-air Virgin Media One on TV in Ireland.

If you want to watch Italy vs England online, then you can do so for free on the Virgin Media Player, with the service available across a wide range of devices.

Don't forget: Irish nationals can live stream every match free of charge while abroad with a VPN.

Watch Italy vs England in Australia

Streaming service Stan Sport has the rights to show every match of the 2024 Six Nations live in Australia. This one kicks off at 1.15am AEDT in the early hours of Sunday 4th February.

To watch Italy vs England ad-free you'll need a Basic Stan package ($10 a month) together with its Stan Sport add-on (a further $15).

Out of Australia? Use a VPN to access your local stream when away from home.

Watch Italy vs England in the USA

NBC's Peacock TV streaming service is the only place to watch this 2024 Six Nations match live in the USA. It starts at 9.15am ET / 6.15am PT on Saturday.

Peacock starts from only $5.99 a month, or you can pay more to get rid of the ads. In addition to the Six Nations, you'll also be able to watch the likes of EPL soccer, WWE, Premiership Rugby and lots more.

The Peacock TV app is available on iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, LG smart TV, Vizio TV, PS4, and Xbox One. You can also watch through your web browser.

If you have access to CNBC and don't mind waiting, the match will be replayed in full there at 9am ET on the Sunday after the game.

Outside the US? Peacock TV is only available within the States so be sure to use a rugby-friendly VPN if you're a subscriber stuck abroad.

Watch Italy vs England in New Zealand

Kiwis can watch Italy vs England courtesy of Sky Sport, which is showing every game of the 2024 tournament. This match kicks off at 3.15am on Sunday morning.

Subscribers can also watch online using the its Sky Go service.

If you don't already have Sky and don't wish to commit to a full package just for the rugby, then Sky Sport Now offers weekly ($24.99) and monthly ($44.99) passes.

UK or Ireland rugby fan abroad? Live stream this Six Nations game on your home streaming service using a world class VPN.

Watch Italy vs England in Canada

Specialist sports streaming service DAZN is the place to watch Italy vs England, plus every other game of the 2024 Six Nations live in Canada. This game starts at 9.15am ET / 6.15am PT.

A DAZN subscription will currently set you back CA$29.99 a month or CA$199.99 a year

Don't forget: Canadian nationals can live stream matches via DAZN when overseas with a VPN.

Italy vs England live stream in South Africa

To watch Italy vs England and all Six Nations 2024 fixtures in South Africa, you'll need access to SuperSport. If you can't watch on your TV, you can also tune in via the network's streaming service for PC and Mac, as well as via SuperSport's dedicated app.

Alternatively, you can get SuperSport channels via the DSTV streaming platform, with plans starting from R129 per month.

This one starts at 4.15pm SAST on Saturday afternoon.

Watch Italy vs England in Singapore and Asia

Premier Sports has all the Six Nations action across most countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Italy vs England starts at 2.15pm GMT, so double check your schedule for the start time in your time zone – in Singapore, for example, kick off is 10.15pm on the evening of Saturday 3rd February.

A monthly pass for Premier Sports will currently set you back US$25.99, but there's a 45% discount to be had if you opt for an annual plan at US$169.99 for a full year.

In addition to the Six Nations, a Premier Sports subscription also gives you access to Heineken Champions Cup, Gallagher Premiership, NRL, URC and Rugby Championship action.

UK expat in Asia? Then use a VPN to watch the free coverage from back home.


England team to play Italy

Backs: Steward, Freeman, Slade, Dingwall, Daly, Ford, Mitchell

Forwards: Marler, George (c), Stuart, Itoje, Chessum, Roots, Underhill, Earl

Replacements: Dan, Genge, Cole, Coles, Cunningham-South, Care, F Smith, Feyi-Waboso

Italy team to play England

Backs: Capuozzo, Padovani, Brex, Morisi, Menoncello, Allan, Varney

Forwards: Fischetti, Nicotera, Riccioni, Cannone, Ruzza, Negri, Lamaro (c), Cannone

Replacements: Bigi, Zani, Ferrari, Iachizzi, Polledri, Zuliani, Fusco, Bruno.


Adam Marshall
Contributor

Adam is a freelance writer with a decade of journalism experience behind him. He's written for a broad range of publications and websites on subjects from sport (The Cricketer, Golf Monthly), TV (TechRadar, WhatToWatch, CinemaBlend) and consumer affairs (Which?), to tech (T3.com, Tom's Guide) and lifestyle (Real Homes and Creative Bloq). Cricket, cooking, crooning and keeping chickens have him occupied when not writing.