The Six Nations has barely started but, suddenly, all roads lead to Twickenham. If Wales have enjoyed the most spectacular start to this year’s tournament, there was enough sharpness and intent about England’s first outing of the year to suggest Saturday’s tribal collision will not disappoint. On the evidence of this seven-try Roman romp, the Welsh defence should certainly anticipate a tougher workout than Scotland could supply.
While seven tries, including an impressively taken double for both Anthony Watson and Sam Simmonds, against a callow Italian side is pretty much par for this particular fixture in recent times, Eddie Jones will have seen enough to be reassured his side, particularly with ball in hand, are heading in the right direction. At the same time he must now brace himself for the possibility of spending the rest of the Championship without Ben Youngs, whose nasty-looking knee injury clouded an otherwise beautiful sunny afternoon in the Eternal City.
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It also has to be said that Italy, for all their enthusiasm and obvious potential, are not yet the definitive yardstick by which potential grand slam champions should be measured. Their defensive organisation in the first half, in particular, left plenty to be desired and England did not have to split the atom to create several of their tries. That said, the 10-12 midfield link between George Ford and Owen Farrell has rarely looked slicker and in Watson and Simmonds it is already clear Jones has two of the deadliest finishers in their respective positions in the entire tournament.
With Jack Nowell also popping up for a late score and Alec Hepburn coming on to win his first cap, this was also a result to be savoured in Exeter, with Simmonds even supplying the final scoring pass to his club-mate. Perhaps the abiding impression, though, was of an England side whose set piece is starting to grow stronger and whose collective expectations are also rising. When Ben Te’o has a bit more rugby in him and Billy Vunipola and Elliot Daly are back to complement other top-class Lions such as Maro Itoje, Mako Vunipola, Courtney Lawes and Farrell, Jones will have enough heavy-duty ammunition to take on all-comers. “Defensively we made a couple of errors but that’s something we can work on and fix,” said the coach. “It wasn’t a perfect game but it was very positive.”
England’s bid to take a fresh guard this year, it seems, has even extended to their dress sense. Prior to kick-off it appeared Australia had secretly entered the tournament, with the visitors confusingly clad in gold and green for their warm-up. The RFU says it was neither a wry nod towards their coach’s nationality nor a long-range dig at Michael Cheika but simply a pre-existing design they are required, for now, to wear for away games by their kit sponsors.
Quick guide
Player ratings by Ian Malin
England
Mike Brown Won his battle to be fit for the game and didn’t play badly but lacked his normal sharpness. 5
Anthony Watson Two early tries set the tone for the afternoon. The Bath players’ second was brilliantly taken. 7
Ben Te’o Justified selection over Jonathan Joseph by breaking the gainline particularly in a strong first half. 6
Owen Farrell Took his try well and showed a great understanding with Ford to give the fly-half his score after the break. 6
Jonny May Played important role in Watson’s tries but would have hated his role in Benvenuti’s score. 6
George Ford Controlled the game well and as it became looser after the break was more of an attacking threat. 6
Ben Youngs His early knee injury cast a shadow over the game. Danny Care grasped his opportunity. N/A
Mako Vunipola Lasted 72 minutes and carried powerfully. His scrummaging was strong and made decisive tackles. 7
Dylan Hartley A tidy game and impressive in the loose but he must be given more time on the pitch against Wales. 6
Dan Cole His powerful scrummaging gave Andrea Lovotti an uncomfortable 40 minutes. Carried ball with purpose. 7
Joe Launchbury Has cemented his place in the second row. Helped England rule the roost in the set-pieces. 7
Maro Itoje Looked stronger as the game progressed and was dominant in the lineout. Strong display. 7
Courtney Lawes Shrugged off a knock in the first half and looked comfortable in his back-row role. Excellent game. 7
Chris Robshaw Worked tirelessly and made important tackles and was key figure in a dominant scrum. 7
Sam Simmonds Marked Six Nations debut with two smart tries, tackled relentlessly and was a match for the great Sergio Parisse. 8
Replacements: George (for Hartley 52, 6), Hepburn (Vunipola 72, 6), Williams (Cole 52, 6), Kruis (Lawes 58, 6), Underhill (Robshaw 66, 6), Care (Youngs 10, 6), Joseph (Te’o 58, 7), Nowell (Brown 60, ).
Italy
Matteo Minozzi 7; Tommaso Benvenuti 6, Tommaso Boni 6, Tommaso Castello 5 (Hayward 72, 5), Mattia Bellini 6; Tommaso Allen 5 (Canna 72, 5), Marcello Violi 5 (Gori 62, 5); Andrea Lovotti 4 (Quaglio h-t, 5), Leonardo Ghiraldini 5 (Bigi 52, 5), Simone Ferrari 6 (Pasquali 52, 5), Alessandro Zanni 5, Dean Budd 5 (Biagi 60, 5), Sebastian Negri 7, Renato Giammarioli 6 (Mbanda 50, 5), Sergio Parisse 6.