Previously seen as the common underdogs of the Six Nations, Italy have batted away calls to be replaced in the competition and are now respected as a danger to whoever they play.
It was only three years ago that Italy were facing calls from all over to be replaced by Georgia in the Six Nations. One win in 40 matches in the competition led to the majority of the rugby world believing it was time for a change.
Fast forward to 2025 and the word dark horses has been branded around, such is the complete transformation in the Azzurri's fortunes.
In 2024, wins over Scotland and Wales showed promise for the Italians, but a 13-13 draw with favourites France in Lille really put them on the map. It would've been a famous win to lift them to fourth in the standings had they nailed a last minute penalty in the match.
Despite this, impressive wins over Tonga, Georgia and Japan have only added to Italy's hype, not to mention a heroic performance against the All Blacks which saw them run out eventual 11-29 losers in a match which demonstrated their ability to compete with the very best.
For the first time since they joined the competition, the Azzurri go into this year's tournament full of hope and promise for what could be an exciting time in Italian rugby.
Six Nations 2025:
Forwards:
Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton), Niccolo Cannone (Benetton), Riccardo Favretto (Benetton), Simone Ferrari (Benetton), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma), Alessandro Izekor (Benetton), Dino Lamb (Harlequins), Michele Lamaro (Benetton, captain), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon), Sebastian Negri (Benetton), Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Francais), Marco Riccioni (Saracens), Luca Rizzoli (Zebre Parma), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), Ross Vintcent (Exeter), Giosue Zilocchi (Benetton), Manuel Zuliani (Benetton).
Backs:
Tommaso Allan (Perpignan), Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton), Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse), Matt Gallagher (Benetton), Alessandro Garbisi (Benetton), Paolo Garbisi (Toulon), Simone Gesi (Zebre Parma), Monty Ioane (Lyon), Leonardo Marin (Benetton), Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton), Martin Page-Relo (Lyon), Jacopo Trulla (Zebre Parma), Stephen Varney (Vannes).
Six Nations 2025 squad lists for every team
Central to every team's success in Rugby Union is the fly-half. Often seen as the conductor of the side, it is very difficult to perform as a team when your fly-half is out of sync.
Sometimes, a steady fly-half who will guarantee you a 7/10 every week and will hit conversion stats in the 90% and above is all that you need.
The Italians have this in Tommaso Allan. Even in the torrid years of wooden spoon after wooden spoon, Tommaso Allan would consistently be a solid performer.
Now, with a team around him constantly improving, Allan is able to show more of his attacking game and in the last competition became both Italy's highest point scorer and try scorer in Six Nations history.
When discussing captains and leaders, typically vocal and inspirational leaders are mentioned. Leading by example has become somewhat of a forgotten art.
In Michele Lamaro, the Azzurri have both. Everything you could want in a leader, you see in Michele Lamaro and he has been central to this Italian resurgence.
As a leader, he is capable of extracting every inch of effort and hard work from his teammates and as a player, he works harder than anyone else.
In 2024, he even set a new record for the most tackles in a Six Nations Championship with 103 in just five matches. At 26, he will be captaining his side into his fourth Six Nations, a testament to his leadership abilities.
Unlike the majority of Italian head coaches, the Argentinian Gonzalo Quesada has seen nothing but progress since taking over the reins in 2024.
His first Six Nations Championship saw his side win twice, draw once and, most impressively, only lose twice. Furthermore, a 36-0 loss in Dublin aside, his team were competitive in every match at the last tournament.
His record as Italy boss so far has been stellar, with five wins, one draw and five losses last year prompting hope the Azzurri could perform fresh heroics in this year's Six Nations.
The Italy national rugby union team traditionally wear an all blue home kit. The 2024/25 version has navy blue artistic detailing and baby blue trimmings.