Six Nations Championship 2026: Italy hopes will win this March decider says wing Lynagh

Italy are no longer content with being considered underdogs in the Six Nations, and winger Louis Lynagh believes the team can soon challenge for the Six Nations Championship 2026 after their historic victory over England last weekend.

Italy beat England 23–18 in Rome on Saturday, their first win over the English side since joining the tournament in 2000. With that result, Italy have now defeated every Six Nations opponent at least once. Earlier in the tournament, they also beat Scotland, a team still in contention for the title heading into the final round.

Italy sit fourth in the standings with nine points and travels to face bottom-placed Wales on Saturday. A victory would give them three wins in a single Six Nations campaign for the first time.

“A lot of our guys believe it,” Lynagh said. “I feel this team can win the Six Nations, whether it’s next year or the year after or at some point. We’re no longer just a one-off. On our day, we can beat almost any team in the world.

“It’s set a benchmark for us. We’re here to win games and make a mark in every match.”

Lynagh also said the win over England was significant because Italy were not at their best but still managed to grind out a result.

“When we’re not playing to the best of our abilities, and some things don’t work, we can still manage to grind out a win; that’s the sign of a really good team,” he said. “And when things start clicking, I reckon we’ll be winning games by 30 or 40 points.”

Lynagh was born in Treviso to an Italian mother while his father, former Australia fly-half Michael Lynagh, was playing for Benetton. Raised in London, he was eligible to represent Italy, Australia or England.

The 25-year-old represented England at youth levels and trained with the senior squad but never earned a cap. Two years ago, he joined Benetton Treviso, which quickly opened the door to the Italian national side.

“I signed the contract, and two days later I got called into the Italy squad,” Lynagh said. “I was fortunate to have the chance to play for three nations, and Italy was the one life chose for me.

“When I go back to Treviso after the Wales game, I’ll be staying in the same house where my granddad lives, the place we’ve been going to on holidays since I was a kid. I couldn’t be happier to be part of this group and project.”

His father famously broke Irish hearts at the 1991 World Cup with a late try against Ireland in the quarter-finals, and Lynagh recently discovered how memorable that moment still is.

“When I arrived at Dublin Airport, the passport officer recognised my name straight away,” he said. “Before even opening my passport, he said, ‘Alright, Mr Lynagh, say hi to your dad for me — I still haven’t forgiven him for ’91.’”

Despite their victory over England, Italy are not taking Wales lightly in Saturday’s final match in Cardiff. Wales are winless in the tournament but have shown improvement, according to Lynagh.

“We’ve had this massive high of beating England, but it would put a massive downer on that if we then lose to Wales,” he said.

“We want to create further history by being the first Italian side to win three games in a Six Nations. We’ve still got a lot of room to grow, and I’m really excited about what this team can achieve in the future.”