England v Italy winners and losers: Maro Itoje’s ‘merciless captaincy’ boosts Lions hopes while Italian forward shows potential to replicate Sergio Parisse
Maro Itoje and Ross Vintcent in action during the round four clash between England and Italy.
Following England’s 47-24 win over Italy in round four of the Six Nations, here are our key winners and losers from the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Winners
Maro Itoje
As mentioned in the player ratings, Maro Itoje was just superb throughout the win against Italy, and it’s another huge boost of his Lions captaincy credentials. He just led England really well, showing the maturity to get them through a rocky patch and later put their foot on Italy’s throat. This is the sort of merciless captaincy that the Lions will need this summer, so it’s a big tick in his box.
Tommy Freeman
He’s had a really strong Six Nations so far, and he’s again pushed his name into that Lions discussion today. He just provided a consistent threat whenever he touched the ball, but what will please both Steve Borthwick and Andy Farrell is the fact he also showed flashes of what he can do in midfield too, which is seen as a potential position switch. His try was also richly deserved, pushing him up to four for the Championship – joint-second in the leaderboard.
Fin Smith
Another big sign of his Test match ability, and it seems he has now nailed down that number 10 shirt. That Saints connection was always going to bring the best out of him, and the rest of them too, but around that he just acted as the ultimate quarterback and guided his side around the pitch with serious maturity. He has also shown real improvement with every Test he plays, which is an impressive feat considering his age.
Elliot Daly
There was a bit of pressure on him to perform today, given the noise surrounding his selection, but he repaid the faith Borthwick showed in him with a strong performance. He was solid when at full-back, which was what the head coach brought him in to do, but he excelled upon his switch to 13 following Ollie Lawrence’s injury and organically found a nice balance with Freeman too as they consistently interchanged across the line.
Marcus Smith
This is the sign that the Marcus Smith at full-back experiment can work, and this is how it needs to operate moving forward. Whilst he came under pressure from some high kicks early into his shift, he recovered very quickly and had a huge effect on the attack as a result. The conditions certainly suited Smith’s game, but he took full advantage of this to have some serious flashes of quality. If he does play 15, he needs to be used like this.
Ross Vintcent
It was another tough outing for the Azzurri, but Ross Vintcent was a real standout for his side. His electric pace and power really came to the fore for his spectacular try, something that won’t surprise regular viewers of the Premiership, but he balanced that out with some serious tough graft in the tight too. He looks a special talent, and one Italy will hope can replicate the great Sergio Parisse.
Ange Capuozzo
Given the chance to play in his more favoured position of full-back, and he certainly took it. His speed has always made him a serious threat, but deployed at full-back he was given more time on the ball and crucially given more time in broken field too, which is where he shines. He also nabbed a nice try for his work.
Losers
Ollie Lawrence
It just looked a horrible freak injury, and he was later seen in a protective boot. Such a shame for him, considering he had given his Lions chances an almighty boost this Six Nations, but he now looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines. Hopefully, it isn’t as bad as first thought.
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Tom Curry
Whilst he was excellent today, his injury late into the day could be a cause for concern given his history. Again, hopefully, it’s not a serious one because he’s really hit his stride again at this level and has shot up the Lions’ pecking order too.
Paolo Garbisi
He was pretty decent for the most part, but his missed kick was a real momentum shifter in the game and gave England a really easy let off just when they were gaining some momentum. Yes, it was only three points, but it just gave England a major uplift.
Ireland
They might not have featured today, but England’s bonus-point win has taken the title fully out of their hands heading into the final weekend. Ireland, who were heading for a third-successive title before their demolition by France, now need both Scotland and Wales to do them a huge favour if they want to get their hands on silverware.
