This weekend's meeting between Wales and Scotland at the Millennium Stadium is the 115th cap match between the sides since 1883.
Wales lead by 63 wins to 48 and the matches of 1885 (at Glasgow), 1922 (at Inverleith in Edinburgh) and 2001 (at Murrayfield) were drawn. Wales have won six of the last seven matches, including a World Cup warm-up game at Cardiff in 2003 and lasy year's meeting at Murrayfield.
Although Scotland won by four goals and eight tries to nil in 1887, that result was before scoring by points was introduced. Their 35-10 result at Inverleith in 1924 is the biggest win and their highest score of the series.
Wales set the record for the highest score in their best win of the series at Murrayfield in the 2005 Grand Slam season. They won 46-22.
Neil Jenkins made the highest individual contribution to a match in the series, collecting 23 points at Murrayfield in 2001. Chris Paterson scored 21 (all penalties) for Scotland at Murrayfield in 2007.
The only player who has finished a match in this series with a full house of scoring actions to his name is Craig Chalmers. He scorred a try, conversion, penalty goal and dropped goal for Scotland at Murrayfield in 1991.
George Lindsay's five tries for Scotland in the 1887 match is a tally that still stands as the record for any game in the International Championship. Reggie Gibbs recorded the only try hat-trick for Wales, at Inverleith in 1911.
Ian Smith scored most tries in the rubber: eight for Scotland in eight matches between 1924 and 1933. For Wales, Willie Llewellyn crossed seven times in only six matches between 1899 and 1905.
Chris Paterson heads the overall scorers in the matches. He has collected 99 points to date. Stephen Jones is the leading overall scorer for Wales with 95 points, just more than Neil Jenkins scored against Scotland.
Billy Trew (in the early 1900s) and JPR Williams (from 1969 to 1981) each played in a dozen matches for Wales, the series record. The corresponding record for Scotland is shared between Jim Renwick and Scott Hastings, who each played 12 times.
Wales-Scotland results in the Six Nations:
2000 Wales 26-18 (Cardiff)
2001 Drawn 28-28 (Murrayfield)
2002 Scotland 27-22 (Cardiff)
2003 Scotland 30-22 (Murrayfield)
2004 Wales 23-10 (Cardiff)
2005 Wales 46-22 (Murrayfield)
2006 Wales 28-18 (Cardiff)
2007 Scotland 21-9 (Murrayfield)
2008 Wales 30-15 (Cardiff)
2009 Wales 26-13 (Murrayfield)
There have been 15 Test matches involving the nations since 1991. England has won each one. Indeed, England is the only team among the Five Nations that Italy has never beaten.
Last season's fixture will be remembered for flanker Mauro Bergamasco's disastrous spell at scrum-half, which gifted England their 36-11 Twickenham victory.
England's 80-23 triumph at Twickenham in the 2001 Six Nations match is the highest score and biggest winning margin of the series. The result also stands as the record score for any International Championship match.
Italy's 23 points that day is their highest score against England, though their best result was the four-point (19-23) defeat in Rome in 2008.
England's 10 tries at Twickenham in 2001 is the most by a team in a match in this series. The best Italian try return is three at Twickenham in 1996.
Jonny Wilkinson set the mark for the highest individual score in a match. He gathered 35 points at Twickenham in 2001 to set the current individual record for most points by a player in any International Championship match. Diego Dominguez scored 15 points for Italy at Huddersfield in 1998.
Austin Healey scored the first of the three try hat-tricks by England in the matches, crossing in Rome in 2000. Jason Robinson repeated the feat in Rome in 2004 and Mark Cueto at Twickenham in 2005. No Italian player to date has scored two tries in a match.
Jonny Wilkinson heads the list of overall scorers in the series with 130 in seven appearances. Diego Dominguez, who played seven times against England, holds the corresponding record for Italy with 51.
Austin Healey is the leading overall try scorer with six. Three Italian players have collected two tries in the series.
Three players have appeared in nine of the matches: Jason Leonard and Matt Dawson for England and Alessandro Troncon for Italy.
England-Italy results in the Six Nations:
2000 England 59-12 (Rome)
2001 England 80-23 (Twickenham)
2002 England 45-9 (Rome)
2003 England 40-5 (Twickenham)
2004 England 50-9 (Rome)
2005 England 39-7 (Twickenham)
2006 England 31-16 (Rome)
2007 England 20-7 (Twickenham)
2008 England 23-19 (Rome)
2009 England 36-11 (Twickenham)
In 1986, a full-strength England XV were held to a 15-15 draw in Rome in a match that only Italy recognised as a cap match.
The Azzurri also gave caps for three matches against England under-23 sides between 1975 and 1982, and for the match in 1985 against England B. The results of these games were as follows: 1975 England u-23 29-13 (Gosforth); 1979 Drawn 6-6 (Brescia); 1982 Italy 12-7 (Padua); 1985 England B 21-9 (Twickenham).
Neither the RFU nor the FIR awarded caps for the Italy XV - England XV game in Rovigo in 1990, even though the teams fielded were of Test standard. The English won 33-15.
The nations meet for the 86th time since 1909 in a major Test on Saturday, with France smarting after defeat to Ireland last season at Croke Park.
France won 20-17 through a late Vincent Clerc try there in 2007 but Jamie Heaslip inspired Ireland to victory in the first leg of last season's Grand Slam.
During the popular series of "Victory" internationals in 1946, France beat an Irish XV 4-3 in Dublin. Only France count that match as part of their Test record.
France head the series by 51 wins to 29 and the last of the five drawn matches was in 1985. France have won seven of their eight most recent encounters, including the Rugby World Cup matches of 2003 (in Melbourne) and 2007 (Paris).
France holds the record for the highest score of the series. They won 45-10 in Paris in 1996. The record winning margin, also held by France, was set in their 44-5 Paris victory in 2002.
Ireland's highest score came in their 31-43 defeat at the Stade de France in 2006 - an extraordinary game in which the Irish trailed 43-3 early in the second half before scoring 28 late points without reply. Ireland's best win was in the early years of the fixture - 24-0 in Cork in 1913.
Thierry Lacroix, with 26 points for France at Durban in the 1995 Rugby World Cup quarter-final involving the countries, holds the record for most points scored in a match.
There have been five try hat-tricks in the series, two by Ireland and three by France. Joe Quinn scored three tries for Ireland in 1913 and Brian O'Driscoll did so in 2000. France's first hat-trick was scored by their left-wing Christian Darrouy in Dublin in 1963, David Venditti repeated the feat in Dublin in 1997 and Vincent Clerc did so in Paris in 2008.
Darrouy heads the list of try scorers for the overall series, crossing eight times. O'Driscoll is the leading Irish try scorer with eight to date.
Irishmen hold the other major records for the matches: Ronan O'Gara has scored 104 overall points (compared with 50 for France by Didier Camberabero), and Willie-John McBride and Fergus Slattery each played 15 times in this fixture. Philippe Sella appeared 13 times for France.
Ireland-France results in the Six Nations:
2000 Ireland 27-25 (Paris)
2001 Ireland 22-15 (Dublin)
2002 France 44-5 (Paris)
2003 Ireland 15-12 (Dublin)
2004 France 35-17 (Paris)
2005 France 26-19 (Dublin)
2006 France 43-31 (Paris)
2007 France 20-17 (Dublin)
2008 France 26-21 (Paris)
2009 Ireland 30-21 (Dublin)
Wales produced one of the greatest escapes ever to claim a 31-24 victory over Scotland in a pulsating Six Nations clash at the Millennium Stadium.
A last-gasp try from winger Shane Williams in stoppage time set the seal on a remarkable comeback that culminated with an amazing 17 points in the last three minutes. Tries from John Barclay and Max Evans had put the Scots on course for victory and the boot of fly-half Dan Parks gave the visitors a 10 point lead midway through the second half. But winger Leigh Halfpenny pounced to give Wales hope before Stephen Jones brought the sides level with a late penalty. But there was still time for one more dramatic twist with Williams diving over under the posts to break Scottish hearts.
Both sides were looking to bounce back from opening round defeats with Wales coach Warren Gatland opting to make two changes from the side beaten 30-17 by England. Leigh Halfpenny came in on the right wing and Jonathan Thomas joined the second row alongside Alun-Wyn Jones, villain of the piece at Twickenham for his trip - literally - to the sin-bin.
Scotland, who had not managed a try in their last three games and have won only three of their last 25 away matches in the Championship, awarded fullback Chris Paterson his 100th cap while Rory Lamont, Dan Parks, Euan Murray and Jim Hamilton had been brought in following the 18-9 loss at home to France.
Wales began brightly and stretched the Scots before working an opening for Shane Williams but the winger knocked on to bring an abrupt end to the move in what would be the first of many missed opportunities for the hosts.
The Scots weathered that early storm and stunned the home crowd with the opening try of the game. Barclay showed great strength to shrug off the combined tackle of Gareth Cooper and James Hook before powering over for a score. Paterson slotted the extras to cement his side's lead and extend his impressive Championship record to 35 consecutive kicks at goal. But it was to be the solitary highlight for him on his special day with injury bringing a premature end to his match later in the half.
Wales rallied with Jamie Roberts ghosting through the otherwise resolute Scottish defence before feeding James Hook but he could not find his captain Ryan Jones. The ball was recycled and worked wide to Lee Byrne but the ball was knocked out of his grasp under pressure. Stephen Jones finally got his side on the board with a penalty on the quarter hour after the Scots had been penalised at the scrum. But back came the Scots with another notable drive deep into Welsh territory that ended with a well-struck drop goal from Parks.
And it could have been worse for Wales when Rory Lamont was gifted time and space in midfield but he lacked support when it mattered most. It was then John Beattie's turn to wreak havoc in the Welsh defence and Parks capitalised on the disarray by dabbing through a delightful grubber that Max Evans dotted down for a try. He had to wait for the Television Match Official Geoff Warren to confirm the score but there was little doubt. Paterson's record run came to an end with a difficult touchline conversion getting the better of him.
The see-saw nature of the game continued with Roberts and Ryan Jones then breaching the gain line before drawing a penalty from the Scots that Stephen Jones slotted to keep his side in the game. But the Welsh scrum woes returned midway through the half to give Parks the chance to stretch his side's lead and his kick was never in doubt from the moment it left his boot.
Shane Williams then sparked a sweeping move with Andy Powell and Byrne offering support with the Scots happy to concede the penalty to snuff out the danger. Paterson limped out of the clash as Stephen Jones pulled the penalty wide of the posts.
A nasty injury for Thom Evans caused a lengthy delay as the half drew to a close and he was eventually stretchered from the field to be replaced by Mike Blair. Wales ended the half strongly with a snipe from Cooper laying the platform for a promising spell of pressure but again they failed to capitalise on good field position. However, Stephen Jones was able to reduce the arrears before the break with his third penalty.
The recalled Parks, who had pulled the strings for Scotland in the first half, made it 21-9 with his second penalty soon after the re-start and the away fans thought their third try had come from flanker Kelly Brown soon after, but it was called back for a forward pass.
Wales rang the changes up front and although a Hook knock-on saw another move come to nothing they were starting to look far more dangerous. The pressure paid off at last just short of the hour mark when Shane Williams made space wide out on the right, drew the tackler and put in Byrne. Jones missed the conversion, but Wales were back in it at 21-14.
Prop Gethin Jenkins lasted only 10 minutes on his return from injury and the task for Wales became harder again when Parks kicked a long-range drop goal - his second of the game - with 15 minutes left. Wales were handed a lifeline when Scotland prop Scott Lawson was sin-binned seven minutes from the end after referee George Clancy ran out of patience with the Scottish pack. Wales opted to kick for the lineout and the ball was subsequently worked through the hands to Roberts who went over, but as the home crowd celebrated the play was called back for crossing in midfield.
Wales were soon back on the front foot and Halfpenny was the beneficiary as they carved the tired Scots open once more. Jones slotted the easy conversion and with three minutes remaining only three points separated the teams. It was all Wales now and when Byrne kicked ahead with the line at his mercy Phil Godman blatantly tripped him and was sin-binned as well. Faced with the decision of whether to secure the draw or go for the lineout and the win, Wales skipper Ryan Jones opted for the kick and Jones obliged to make it 24-24 with only seconds of normal time remaining.
And in the last play of the game Wales attacked again, ruthlessly stretching the beleaguered Scots, before Williams darted over to score the winning try under the posts.
The noise was deafening. Eighty minutes of forlorn singing followed by a rapturous roar at the Millennum Stadium, heralding redemption for a Wales team that had endured a torrid afternoon.
Shane Williams, a player destined to become part of the fabric of Welsh rugby along with Gareth, Gerald, JPR et al, dusted himself off after scoring the winning try against Scotland and promptly washed away the taste of a scrappy, uninspiring performance.
In a finish that will live long in the memory for its overwhelming drama and sense of theatre, Wales provided a happy ending for their adoring fans in a game that threatened to be an embarrassing defeat for lengthy stretches of the afternoon. Leigh Halfpenny and Lee Byrne scored Wales' other tries in a final salvo that eclipsed Scotland's excellent display, with Halfpenny's electric burst along the dead ball line to make the conversion easier a brilliant piece of play and a telling piece of drama.
Scotland were rarely out of control in a contest that exploded into life in the final 10 minutes, when Wales exploited the same disciplinary woes that had undermined their effort at Twickenham last weekend. Scott Lawson and Phil Godman were ordered from the field by referee George Clancy, allowing Wales space and crucially belief. Lawson's interference with Richie Rees at a ruck was a moment of stupidity not far removed from Alun-Wyn Jones' now fabled trip, and Godman saw yellow for a professional foul on Lee Byrne that on another day could have seen the referee under the posts for a penalty try.
The game began with a celebration of Chris Paterson's 100th cap, the venerable Edinburgh fullback jogging out alone to set in motion Scotland's best chance of victory in Cardiff since their last triumph way back in 2002. Unfortunately it wasn't to be. Paterson lasted only half an hour before succumbing to injury, his three-year tournament kicking streak falling in the process, and Scotland similarly saw bright hopes fade into murk and gloom by the final whistle.
The pre-match talk had centred on the Millennium Stadium's roof being ordered to remain open by the Scots, with Warren Gatland predictably engaging in a war of words with his opposite number Andy Robinson that detracted from the task at hand. Underneath milky winter sunshine, his side produced a performance largely bereft of invention, doubtless leaving vast numbers inside the ground wondering why exactly verbal tirades were being delivered when there was obviously plenty to be ironed out on the training field.
Scotland, by comparison, produced a performance of poise and simplicity, with Dan Parks justifying his recall with a commanding performance at fly-half to ram home Wales' inefficiency in the first-half, including a clutch of drop-goals and a brilliant grubber for Max Evans' try. Williams' try should not be allowed to mask the shortcomings of the home side, who were outbattled at the breakdown and presented nothing of the organisation that Shaun Edwards' defence has become famous for.
Wales missed first-up tackles that they don't usually miss, with Gareth Cooper and James Hook conspiring to allow John Barclay to burst clear of a packed Welsh midfield for the opening try and Kelly Brown enjoying the freedom of the field on a number of occasions. Wales dominated the scrum and the possession stats but were unable to exert the control that came so easily to Parks, with Cooper again drawing the sting of his own attack with laboured delivery.
The Blues scrum-half was hauled off at the break, with Rees slotting in and happy to follow the Scottish model of doing the basics first and foremost. The lineout functioned in the early stages, the introduction of Jonathan Thomas, Wales' finest lineout forward for some years, proved to be an important cog.
Scotland will struggle to take heart from a performance that was vastly improved from their opening loss to France, and one that on balance should have comfortably won them the game. The loss of Paterson and Thom Evans forced a defensive reshuffle that would have cause untold disruption in previous seasons, but Robinson's side stuck to their task and continued to give Wales very little elbow room in the tackle.
Jamie Roberts enjoyed his best outing since the Lions tour to South Africa and provided some cut and thrust for the home side, but it was the ambition of Williams that once again lit up an average performance. Scotland will feel hard done by and need to regroup before facing Italy, while Wales can once again salute their little dynamo and enjoy the shoe being on the other foot in terms of discipline. Much work to do for both, but what a ride.
France have stolen a march in this season's Six Nations by ending Ireland's 12-match unbeaten run with a 33-10 victory at the Stade de France.
As it proved to be for Wales last season, the Stade was the graveyard for Ireland's hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams following another French performance brimming with pace and menace. William Servat and Yannick Jauzion pounced for first-half tries while Irish prop Cian Healy was confined to the sin-bin, with Clement Poitrenaud scoring a third just after the break.
Morgan Parra continued to develop alongside Francois Trinh-Duc at halfback, kicking 15 points to cancel out David Wallace's second-half try for a forlorn Ireland.
France pitted the hero of their opening victory over Scotland, Mathieu Bastareaud, against Irish skipper Brian O'Driscoll, while Ronan O'Gara kept the Irish fly-half berth despite the return to fitness of Jonathan Sexton.
Ireland began tentatively, with a knock-on from the kick-off and a terrible sliced Garryowen from Tommy Bowe. O'Connell settled the nerves by rising to pinch a French lineout, but more handling errors allowed the home side to break.
Bastareaud had his first charge at the defence but Ireland held firm, reclaiming the ball and kicking long. Alexis Palisson gathered and rescued a hairy situation with a mazy run, but Ireland bit back immediately after Rob Kearney claimed the eventual clearance. The Lions fullback brilliantly latched onto his own up 'n'under, creating space for Stephen Ferris to power his way through the line and release No.8 Jamie Heaslip. Tomas O'Leary continued the movement but a poor pass from O'Gara brought the movement to an abrupt end.
Servat saw another throw picked off by Ireland after a charge-down had put the visitors under pressure, and Kearney's clearance drew more territorial gain as Poitrenaud booted the ball out on the full. Ireland set up a strong maul but were undone by a wild pass from Jerry Flannery, but France continued to falter as Servat's third throw went to a green shirt.
Irish centre Gordon D'Arcy pulled out his best dancing shoes in midfield, darting through the French blitz defence and chipping ahead. The bounce was cruel, though, eluding the Leinster man and falling to a scampering Vincent Clerc.
France opened the scoring moments later, and were granted a man advantage when Healy was shown yellow for an early tackle. Imanol Harinordoquy and Pascal Pape made huge gains with powerful runs to the heart of the Irish defence, Trinh-Duc continuing the movement before Healy made a speculative grab at the supporting Parra, preventing a potential try and earning 10 minutes in the bin.
Parra chipped over the penalty and Ireland were fortunate not to lose another player following Jerry Flannery's mindless hack at Palisson. France went to the corner and were handed another penalty as O'Leary went in at the side of a maul, the home side electing for a scrum against the seven-man Irish pack. Two penalties followed as the French dominated and despite a rallying effort from Ireland, France secured quick ball and Servat powered over from close range to punish Ireland with a 10-point swing during Healy's time off the field.
France were guilty of blocking at the restart and O'Gara knocked over a penalty as Healy re- entered the fray. Immediately, though, a rampant French attack fired for the second try of the game. Bastareuad powered into space and was supported by Parra. Trinh-Duc cleverly used a miss-pass to find Jauzion out wide, with the Toulouse centre unstoppable from five metres.
Ireland pressed constantly as the half drew to a close, forcing a penalty metres out from the French line. Several phases of pick and drive followed, with France pinged for offside. O'Leary took a quick tap and was swallowed by the defence, with the opportunity lost as Leo Cullen knocked on out wide.
France nearly landed the killer blow just after the restart, with Vincent Clerc bearing down on the line before being denied by a last ditch tackle. Fulgence Ouedraogo followed up but was only able to knock on, letting the visitors off the hook.
Julien Malzieu also went close for Les Bleus, the Clermont wing barged into touch after collecting a delightful chip from Trinh-Duc. The fly-half was then hauled down a metre from the line, after a dog-legged Irish line was carved open. Parra could not collect the ball under pressure and France saw a third chance go begging.
A terrible mistake by Keith Earls, knocking on after taking a quick tap from a mark, gave France position to secure their third. From the scrum the ball was worked to Bastareaud, who was able to hold off the challenge of O'Driscoll long enough to offload to Poitrenaud, who was unstoppable from close range.
Parra angled in a brilliant conversion and added a long-range drop-goal to underline French authority, but Ireland burgled the next try immediately after. Ferris set off on a powerful blindside burst, popping an offload to O'Driscoll, who in turn was able to find an onrushing Wallace. The flanker crossed untouched and O'Gara successfully landed the conversion.
Parra missed a chance to extend France's lead soon after, but was caught by Tom Court in a late tackle immediately after. The Clermont scrum-half dusted himself off and slotted the kick that opened up a 20-point margin heading into the final 10 minutes.
A promising blindside burst from D'Arcy was ended by a knock-on and Ireland's late efforts were snuffed out by France's dominant pack. A scrum penalty gave France the territory they needed to close out the game, and replacement Frederic Michalak did just that, rocking back in the pocket and slotting a drop-goal.
Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll insisted his side's crushing 33-10 defeat by France does not signal an end to Irish rugby's purple patch.
A 12-match unbeaten run, which included victory over world champions South Africa as well as the Six Nations title, was halted in emphatic fashion in sub-zero temperatures at the Stade de France. The French justified their tag of championship favourites with a clinical destruction of O'Driscoll's men but the skipper believes his team will learn from their first defeat since November 2008 in time for their trip to Twickenham in a fortnight's time.
"We certainly don't think we've come to the end of a cycle," said O'Driscoll. "Obviously there is huge disappointment. "We haven't felt that for over a year but results like that are quite grounding at times. Not that we ever thought we were infallible but you get a reality check from those sort of games.
"You realise you haven't got everything bang on and we've got to use that to our advantage by putting the small things right. It's only a shame we don't have a game next week to put it right but hopefully we'll be back on it when we go to Twickenham."
French hooker William Servat scored the game's first try after 27 minutes while Ireland were down to 14 men through the sin-binning of prop Cian Healy for obstruction and centre Yannick Jauzion added a second before half-time, when the French led 17-3.
Ireland, who lost fullback Rob Kearney with a worrying knee injury, became increasingly ragged and conceded a third try to full-back Clement Poitrenaud before claiming a consolation effort through flanker David Wallace. It was as emphatic as they come and O'Driscoll admits the French remain firm favourites to succeed Ireland as champions.
"On a performance like that, it would take a very good team to beat them," he said. "One thing about the Six Nations is that you have to do that on five occasions. They still have three more to produce but it was certainly pretty effective stuff today.
"They played a physical game and gave their backs some good go-forward ball. It was a complete French performance. We spoke about not letting them get off to a good start and we might have created some momentum if Gordon (D'Arcy's) chip and chase had come off and we had gone 7-0 up but it was an impressive all-round display from them."
Ireland coach Declan Kidney was gracious in defeat, saying, "Any time you get beaten by three tries to one - and they probably had one or two other chances as well - you can't complain. I'd like to compliment them on that. It's an extremely difficult venue to come to. Even though our boys stayed at it, we never managed to come back into the game and France picked off the penalties.
"At 17-3 down, we tried to attack from deep but France covered the back field quite well. They kept the pressure on us and kept the scoreboard ticking along. A lot of little things cost us. It's a game of inches but we're not making excuses. It just didn't happen for us today."
Kidney will check on injuries to prop John Hayes (head), lock Leo Cullen (ankle) and Kearney, who is the most serious casualty, as he prepares for the England game.
Morgan Parra kicked 15 points for France and, with half-back partner Francois Trinh-Duc, tormented the Ireland defence, but coach Marc Lievremont declined to single out any individuals.
"Morgan Parra was one of the satisfactions of the game, as well as Francois, but it's difficult to single out players," he said. "We are looking for consistent performances and this is what we are still working on.
"The Irish team is a good team but we managed to master their strengths and we played smartly. The first 15 minutes were very tough and that is maybe where we built victory. The Irish team had more possession in our half but we managed to keep control of the game and build momentum."
England scraped to a 17-12 victory over a vastly improved Italy side in their Six Nations clash at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome.
Mathew Tait scored the only try of the game in the second-half and Jonny Wilkinson kicked 12 points, but Martin Johnson's men were under pressure for long stretches of the game and failed to take advantage of a second-half sin-binning for Italian tight-head Martin Castrogiovanni. Mirco Bergamasco kicked all of Italy's points as the home side threatened an upset with three uncharacteristic missed penalties from Wilkinson opening the door for the Azzurri.
Riki Flutey returned to the England midfield and Dan Cole was granted a full debut at tight-head, but both players were unable to spark a below-par side into life.
England were almost ahead after a matter of seconds, Flutey pulling the strings and Danny Care feeding his backline with quick ball. Delon Armitage chipped ahead and chased hard, but Italian scrum-half Tito Tebaldi was able to beat the London Irish fullback to the bouncing ball.
Italy immediately began peppering the English back-three with kicks, but the visitors were reluctant to counter attack in the opening stages. It was Italy who took on the challenge in attack, with Luke McLean and Gonzalo Canale flying clear before England cynically swept the ball back from a ruck. Italy went to the corner and used, good, flat ball on the gainline. They produced waves of quick ball, with Man of the Match Alessandro Zanni collecting a cross-kick and just failing to find a scoring pass.
England kicked long and looked to put the Italian lineout under pressure, as it was in Dublin a week ago, with a stolen throw yielding the opening points for Wilkinson after Mauro Bergamasco went in at the side of a maul.
England gifted the points back to the home side by not rolling away at the restart, with Bergamasco clipping over the penalty. Italy retreated to their kicking game but ineffective chasing left England with plenty of time to clear, their aimless kicks slowing the game's entertaining start.
Wilkinson joined the line well to spark an excellent England attack, drawing the defence and putting Mark Cueto into space. Monye flew up in support but was hammered into touch by a brilliant Gonzalo Garcia cover tackle.
Wilkinson missed his next shot at goal, secured by Tim Payne at the scrum, but Monye sparked an English attack by charging at the heart of the Italian defence, The Harlequins wing ignored his inside options and an isolated Haskell was penalised just inside the Italian 22. The hosts failed to capitalise with a terrible kick from Tebaldi spiralling out on the full, and a blatant offside call allowed Wilkinson to kick to the corner.
Cole rumbled on but Italy looked to have secured possession, only for the referee's whistle to confirm another offside penalty for England. From straight in front England should have secured reward for an enterprising period of play, but Wilkinson shanked his kick wide. Bergamasco narrowly missed a shot at goal after England conceded a spate of forward penalties and while Italy looked to run the ball, the visitors' defence was rarely troubled as they toiled behind the gainline. England made better use of the ball after securing a turnover, Tait intelligently varying his angles of attack to take play to within five metres of the Italian line. England were unable to secure quick ball and were awarded a scrum, from which their opponents secured a turnover and cleared their lines.
England persisted with their aimless kicking from deep, but their net gain was to slip three points down after conceding first territory and then a penalty once Italy had secured possession from their shaky lineout.
Flutey sparked England into life just before the break by bursting clear on his own 22, taking play deep into Italian territory with a brilliant surge. Italy were offside in defence and when Castrogiovanni stopped the attack in its tracks with a shuddering tackle, Wilkinson levelled the scores.
Italy started the second period the brighter, with England continuing to kick mercilessly. Craig Gower missed a long-range shot at goal after Flutey was guilty of a high tackle to stop a Mclean counter. England struck immediately for the opening try, with the visitors finally opting to keep the ball in hand. Easter carried well and found Monye, who slipped out of Andrea Masi's tackle and popped the ball inside to Armitage. The fullback had Tait on an excellent support angle and the Sale centre made no mistake.
Wilkinson missed the conversion and but for a poor pass by Tebaldi, Italy may have hit back immediately. Quick hands between Garcia and McLean freed Masi, but Tebaldi's poor effort ended their momentum. Care sniped through the Italian line to open up space for England but their chance died with a forward pass from Tait.
England put the Italian lineout under pressure following an excellent clearance by Tait and after a hurried clearance Monye put his foot down and carved a path towards the line. Bergamasco got back to cover as the Quins winger again ignored his options, but England had a penalty. Care kicked the ball to the corner as Wilkinson ran off a knock, with Castrogiovanni killing the ball immediately and heading to the sin-bin for 10 minutes.
Wilkinson kicked the simple penalty but England struggled to regain their position of dominance as their lineout faltered and Italy dominated possession. Bergamasco slotted a shot at goal after Gonzalo Canale had stretched the English defence and Italy continued to probe with McLean and Masi sparking half breaks before positive running from Cueto yielded a pressure-relieving penalty.
A penalty against Moody ended Castrogiovanni's sin-bin, with England having failed to capitalise on the scoreboard. Italy continued to press, Bergamasco's third penalty drawing Italy to within two points as the clock ticked past 70 minutes.
The English forwards finally regained some composure and used several effective mauls to set up position and after they had drawn the backs, Wilkinson chipped over a drop-goal that opened up vital breathing space and sealed the home side's fate.
Italy missed out on a hat-trick of victories over Scotland last season and will be keen to notch their first Six Nations triumph since 2008 at the Stadio Flaminio on Saturday.
The Azzurri won the Championship matches against Scotland in both 2007 and 2008 (though Scotland did manage an interim Rugby World Cup pool match victory at Saint Etienne in 2007).
The nations meet for the 16th time since 1996 in a major Test and it is the 10th time they have met in the Six Nations since 2000, when they launched the current version of the tournament. Scotland head the overall series by 10 wins to five.
Scotland hold the record for the highest score, the biggest winning margin and highest try-return of the series. They won 47-15 and scored six tries at Murrayfield when the sides met in a World Cup warm-up match in August 2003.
Italy's best result is their 37-17 Six Nations win at Murrayfield in 2007, when they scored four tries.
Diego Dominguez, with 29 points for Italy in Rome in 2000, holds the series record for most points scored in a match. Brendan Laney scored 24 for Scotland, also in Rome, in 2002.
Kenny Logan set the record for most tries in a match, scoring two for Scotland when the sides first met, at Murrayfield, in 1996. Luca Martin crossed twice for Italy there in 1999.
Logan also heads the list of try scorers for the overall series, crossing four times in six appearances between 1996 and 2003. Five Italians, including the Bergamasco brothers, have scored two tries in the matches.
The other major records for the fixture include Chris Paterson's overall tally of 107 points from 11 appearances (compared with 94 for Italy by Diego Dominguez), and Scott Murray's 11 appearances (1998 to 2007) in the series. Paterson and Simon Taylor have also played 11 times.
Alessandro Troncon and Andrea Lo Cicero each played 10 times for Italy.
The only player dismissed during a Scotland-Italy match was Massimo Giovanelli at Murrayfield in 1999.
2010 Six Nations
