England to hit back with dominant win over Italy

Colin Newboult
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Italy player Carlo Canna,Paolo Garbisi and England player Billy Vunipola during the match Italy-England in the Olimpic stadium. Rome (Italy), October 31st, 2020 (Photo by Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio/Sipa USA)

It has been a week of reflection for England as a series of poor performances finally caught up with them when a confident Scotland stunned the rugby world.

That 11-6 defeat was a shock for most and a huge setback in the Red Rose’s 2021 Six Nations hopes, but they couldn’t say it hadn’t been coming.

Since their landmark World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand in 2019, Eddie Jones’ men have ultimately been disappointing. Although they ended 2020 with two titles, the displays were hardly inspiring and left more questions than answers.

The pressure has only increased on Jones and the team since last Saturday’s loss, but this encounter against Italy is ideal for them to find some form.

Versus a better and more experienced Azzurri outfit, there would be concerns, but they should have no problems in dispatching the visitors, who succumbed to France 50-10 in Round One, with relative ease this weekend. However, it is the style with which they do it that will be the focus for English observers and whether there are signs of improvement heading into a huge clash against Wales.

Last time they met

It was another comfortable victory for England over Italy as Jones’ men overcame the Azzurri 34-5 in Rome to move a huge step towards claiming the Six Nations title. The hosts were competitive in the first half and were just 10-5 behind a Red Rose team that struggled to find their rhythm. Jake Polledri’s brilliant individual try was a highlight of the opening period, giving the home side hope going into the second period, but the visitors would proceed to dominate. On his 100th cap, Ben Youngs scored twice for England, while Jamie George, Tom Curry and Henry Slade also went over to complete a bonus-point win.

What they said

England head coach Eddie Jones insists that they will get back on track this weekend.

“We are not making any sort of excuses but last week there were various variables at play that in retrospect we didn’t handle well,” he said.

“As I said, I accept full responsibility for that. I got it wrong, but this week I can guarantee we are right on the money.

“This week, because we’ve had a loss and the team have been criticised from North to South Pole – and probably in between – the mood is not as upbeat so you’ve got to work a bit harder to get everyone thinking in a positive way and we’ve done that.

“We want to get on the front foot. We want to be back to playing good front-foot rugby.

“That’s when we’re at our best, that’s when we are one of the most damaging teams in the world and that’s what we want to get back to.”

Italy boss Franco Smith has demanded patience as they look to end their losing run in the Six Nations which stretches back to 2015.

“The mountain in front of us is high, very high,” he told the Telegraph. “But there is a road that goes up there and we will be on that road. It is up to us to plot that journey and that is what we are doing.

“Our main opponents are not England but ourselves. That is who we must focus on. We must also not be worried about getting the monkey off our back, looking to get one win in the championship at any cost.

“If that is all we work towards then it will be another five or six years before the next victory. It is time for new faces, new icons in Italian rugby.

“I firmly believe that ending this drought will come from concentrating on how we play, on our basics, on quality actions, on being clinical and accurate.

“We need to find something sustainable for the future of Italian rugby. It is about building a cathedral, constructing something of substance.”

Players to watch

After their set-piece problems against Scotland, both in the lineout and scrum, Jones has made alterations to the front-row. Out go the three that started in Round One and in come Mako Vunipola, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Kyle Sinckler. Vunipola’s and Sinckler’s selection in the XV is not a surprise following their return from injury and suspension respectively, but the omission of Jamie George is an interesting call. George has been the main man at hooker after Dylan Harley was ousted, but he struggled against the Scots, particularly with his throwing. As a result, Cowan-Dickie comes in, while Courtney Lawes will help the lineout after being named at blindside.

Behind the scrum, Jones has rather unceremoniously dumped Ollie Lawrence, who didn’t do anything wrong against Scotland. He was simply a victim of his team’s game plan and a start against Italy would have been ideal for Lawrence to finally get his hands on the ball. Instead, the Worcester centre has been dropped, with the head coach going with the George Ford and Owen Farrell playmaking axis. Jones has stated that it is to improve their attack but you rather fear that it will just mean more and more kicking.

With the hosts’ style of play easily identifiable, Italy will think that they can put them under pressure, akin to Scotland last week. The Azzurri have been guilty of overplaying under Smith and hopefully the selection of Carlo Canna can aid their kicking game. If they can turn the Red Rose around and win possession inside the opposition half, they do have the confidence to move the ball through the phases. Stephen Varney is already an impressive operator at scrum-half and his half-back team-mate, Paolo Garbisi, has to ability to create, but they have to be smarter.

Italy also need to be more competitive up front. Gone are the days where they used to dominate the forward exchanges with the likes of Martin Castrogiovanni and Sergio Parisse in their pack. Instead, their set-piece has struggled over past few seasons and Smith will hope the inclusion of the experienced Andrea Lovotti will have an impact.

Main head-to-head

No one played that well for England last weekend, but Billy Vunipola was particularly quiet. He looked undercooked, having played a grand total of once since December, and failed to get up to the pace of the game. Vunipola barely got his hands on the ball and was also off it defensively, conceding a yellow card after being caught offside before taking Finn Russell high in the same phase.

It was symptomatic of a pretty awful individual display and Jones will expect far better this weekend. The Red Rose need his ball-carrying prowess and for him to get the better of the Azzurri’s Michele Lamaro, who is highly-rated within Italy. With Sergio Parisse’s international career pretty much over and other potential back-row options Braam Steyn and Polledri injured, Lamaro has the pressure of following those talented players in the eight jersey. The 22-year-old is athletic and powerful, but he failed to make an impression against France in the opening round.

Prediction

England may well be reeling from their defeat to Scotland but they will have far too much quality for Italy. It may not be pretty, similar to the reverse fixture last October, but the Red Rose will win with some room to spare. If they don’t, the knives will certainly be out for Jones. England by 30.

Previous results

2020: England won 34-5 in Rome
2019: England won 37-0 in Newcastle
2019: England won 57-14 in London
2018: England won 46-15 in Rome
2017: England won 36-15 in London
2016: England won 40-9 in Rome
2015: England won 47-17 in London
2014: England won 52-11 in Rome
2013: England won 18-11 in London

The teams

England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Jack Willis, 22 Dan Robson, 23 Max Malins

Italy: 15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Luca Sperandio, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Montanna Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Michele Lamaro, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 David Sisi, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Giosuè Zilocchi, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Federico Mori

Date: Saturday, February 13
Venue: Twickenham
Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Romain Poite (France), Ben Blain (Scotland)
TMO: Joy Neville (Ireland)

 

England