England player ratings: Jack Willis and Ollie Lawrence shine in Six Nations win over Italy
Following a 31-14 victory over Italy in their Six Nations Test at Twickenham on Sunday, here are the player ratings for England.
15 Freddie Steward: Not his most influential day at the office with ball in hand but he was rock solid as usual at the back and regularly looked for work. 6
14 Max Malins: Sliced through on 35 minutes for what would have been a great try assist but obstruction saw the attack called back. Is growing in confidence under Steve Borthwick’s new regime. 7
13 Henry Slade: Unusually quiet on his return to the England side as he made just four metres with ball in hand while his midfield partner pulled up trees alongside him. 4
12 Ollie Lawrence: Showed what a force he is with an early carry but Lawrence‘s big moment came on the hour mark as he bust through before an offload unfortunately went awry. It wasn’t just in attack where he shone, however, as he followed up a superb breakdown penalty win late on by sparking a counter-attack. Outstanding. 9
11 Ollie Hassell-Collins: Hardly saw any ball at Twickenham which will frustrate both player and his loyal supporters. Replaced on 54 minutes and will now hope he’s done enough to retain his spot in the side against Wales. 4
10 Owen Farrell: Relished being in the driving seat as he backed his team-mates regularly early on, going to the corner which paid off in tries. Perhaps over-kicked in the red zone as the jury remains out on who should start at fly-half. 5
9 Jack van Poortvliet: An armchair ride for the scrum-half on Sunday. He ran a good support line for the disallowed try after Malins’ break but other than that it was a fairly tidy performance before he was replaced on the hour. 6
8 Alex Dombrandt: An early knock-on after overrunning a pass was soon put behind him as he put in a solid shift at Twickenham. Dombrandt defended well and backed that up with 71 metres on the day. 7
Incredible comeback performance
7 Jack Willis: An emotional and hugely successful return to Test rugby. Scored the game’s first try from a lineout maul and then become a nuisance in defence to foil Italy on numerous occasions. Willis was an absolute menace and Borthwick no doubt wanted to run down to the field and wrap him in cotton wool after replacing him on 52 minutes. 9
6 Lewis Ludlam: Another busy showing as he finished with a team high 22 tackles and dovetailed nicely with Willis around the field. Ludlam was also a solid lineout option and currently looks undroppable from the England back-row. 7
5 Ollie Chessum: Another all-action display from the Leicester Tiger, who appears to be growing in confidence with each game in this Six Nations. Crashed over for a well deserved try on 27 minutes as he made 38 metres from seven carries. 8
4 Maro Itoje: Another relatively quiet afternoon while the rest of the pack stood out. Won a handy turnover in the second half but still well off his best form. 4
3 Kyle Sinckler: Part of a solid opening from the England set-piece as they won a handful of penalties before he went on to put himself about defensively, finishing with 12 tackles. 6
2 Jamie George: His lineout and scrum were top drawer and he topped that off with a pushover score on 37 minutes for his 12th England try to date. 7
1 Ellis Genge: Got one over Marco Riccioni early on at scrum time and another penalty followed soon after. Genge’s best moment, however, came when he provided a slick try assist for the Chessum try, sucking in defence a metre or two out. 7
Replacements: Dan Cole and Ben Earl came on early in the second half but struggled to make an impact, with the same being said of Mako Vunipola. However, there’s credit in the bank for Alex Mitchell and Henry Arundell, who combined for a try late on, but overall there was a dip in performance when the bench emerged. 5
READ MORE: Italy player ratings: Sebastian Negri a class act in Six Nations loss to England
