England lost their 100% winning record against Italy in the Men’s Six Nations this weekend, as they were once again left wondering what could have been after failing to convert 22 entries into points.
It was the last 100% record left in the Men’s Six Nations, and Italy shattered that glass ceiling to the delirium of all Azzurri fans both in Rome and around the world.
In the build up to Italy’s first-ever win over England in the Six Nations, you could sense the nerves in the England camp. As the game progressed, even at 18-10, you got a feeling that the game had more in it.
Two yellow cards for the visitors definitely had an impact, both on the momentum but also the tactics as the match entered the traditional ‘substitution window’. Game plans were thrown into disarray and confusion reigned as England looked for a way to hold on, then respond to Leonardo Marin’s match-winning try.
We called it in our match preview, stating that it would come down to which team took their chances and which proved more resilient in the red zone. England found their way into the Italian 22 on 10 occasions but averaged just 1.5 points per foray. Italy managed only seven entries but took 2.4 points per venture.
This has become the theme of England’s tournament. They have defended well generally, allowing the fewest 22 entries of any side – just 29. But when teams get within striking distance, they’ve made it count, averaging a competition-high 3.2 points per entry.
Likewise, Steve Borthwick’s side haven’t been short of creating chances. Only France (50) have managed more 22 entries than England (48), but they’ve averaged just 2.0 points per entry – only Italy have a lower rate (1.4).
29 – England have conceded the fewest 22 entries (29) of any side in the 2026 Six Nations, however they've conceded the most points per entry (3.2). Conversely, they've managed the 2nd most attacking 22 entries (48) of any team but have the 2nd worst points per entry rate… pic.twitter.com/uroFHq00Gv
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) March 9, 2026Missing tackles has been costly for England, more so than for other sides. A Championship-high 44% of their missed tackles have resulted in a line break or try being scored by opponents.
All of this points towards the fact that England aren’t actually a million miles away from clicking – something probably evident from their 12-match winning streak prior to this crisis-creating collapse. In the end, this was a game of margins in what proves to be an era of Six Nations competitiveness not seen for some time.
The obvious follow up to this analysis is: why? Why are England not making cover tackles and getting so exposed when the opposition break the line? Why are they not converting the chances they’re making into points?
Looking at the attack, only France (20) have conceded more turnovers in the opposition 22 than England (19) so far. The main cause of these has been handling errors, both forced (5) and unforced (9), with no other side giving away possession in the red zone due to fumbles as often (14).
In fact, England’s tally of five turnovers in this area due to forced handling errors in contact accounts for 45% of all such turnovers across the Championship.
If they can protect the ball better in contact and start taking their chances, a shock win against France is still a possibility, especially after the carnage Scotland caused against Les Bleus last week.
They’ll need to sort out their secondary lines of defence too, though. France will be on the rampage and hungry to immediately banish the memories of Round 4.
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Tired Tackles and Missed Chances: Why England’s 2026 Six Nations Has Fallen Flat Opta Analyst.
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