England vs Italy LIVE rugby: Six Nations 2023 result and reaction to first win of Steve Borthwick era
Steve Borthwick’s side outclassed the Azzurri to earn their first win of the new era at Twickenham
England delivered a performance of ruthless efficiency and forward power to overwhelm Italy 31-14 on Sunday for a five-try bonus-point victory that got their Six Nations campaign back on track after last week’s defeat by Scotland.
The hosts might not have matched the sparkling rugby seen in Saturday’s two matches but Italy could not live with their pack strength, particularly a seemingly unstoppable rolling maul, following coach Steve Borthwick’s promise to get back to basics.
Having won only one of their last six games at Twickenham, the home fans were not about to start complaining about style, though Borthwick’s decision to mix up his midfield looked a good one as man of the match Ollie Lawrence brought much-needed pace and intensity to the inside centre channel.
First-half tries for Jack Willis, Ollie Chessum and Jamie George put England 19-0 up at halftime. A penalty try earned the bonus point and though Italy crossed twice in a more evenly-balanced second half, England finished strongly with a crowd-pleasing finish by exciting replacement winger Henry Arundell.
Their 30th win in 30 meetings with Italy continued England’s stranglehold on the fixture and maintained their position as the only team never to have lost to the Italians since they joined the competition in 2000.
‘So special’ Henry Arundell backed to star by Nick Evans
England will unleash explosive wing Henry Arundell off the bench at Twickenham on Sunday with instructions to shred Italy’s defence.
Arundell has earned an immediate recall for the Six Nations round two clash after missing the entire autumn because of an ankle injury, limiting him to just 30 minutes of rugby for his club London Irish since October
But the 20-year-old try-scoring sensation, who earlier this week was likened to Jason Robinson by Owen Farrell, has been tearing up training with England and is ready to add to the three caps won against Australia in July.
“Henry’s special, so special, and I’ve loved watching him train. Any time he gets the ball he looks like he will break a tackle. He reacts on instinct,” attack coach Nick Evans said.
“When he gets the opportunity to come in it’s all about getting him into space and creating as many one-on-ones for him as possible. The one v one is something he works really hard on, it’s a super strength of his.
“Henry is like all quality players, they’re probably uncoachable in terms of how they feel the game and the way they react to certain situations.”
‘So, so special’ Henry Arundell given boost by England coaching staff
The London Irish wing is in England’s squad for Sunday’s Six Nations clash with Italy
Italian pack fit to match England
Italy have plenty of scavenging threat of their own: Michele Lamaro, both Cannone brothers and Danilo Fischetti are all very strong over the ball, and I was particularly impressed by Giacomo Nicotera against France last week, particularly in the second half. Fischetti and Marco Riccioni are two props that Italy can really build around – the pair came through the U20s together and are a nicely balanced duo.
After recovering from an ACL injury, Riccioni opted to skip Italy’s autumn business to remain with Saracens and build back his confidence and fitness at club level. Though England scrummaged well against Scotland, there are still some vulnerabilities apparent that Italy might be able to exploit, which could be key if they are to push England closer.
Jack Willis back on the hunt on the England openside
It speaks to how bad Jack Willis’ injury against Italy two years ago was that Ellis Genge tried to swiftly move the conversation on when asked about it on Friday. Willis’ Six Nations debut was ended prematurely by a trapped leg, a crocodile roll and a career-threatening tearing of the knee ligaments, and it is lovely to see him back. England don’t hurt for openside options but this is probably Willis’ best chance yet of staking a real claim to a starting shirt.
Not that this year has been particularly easy either, with the demise of Wasps forcing a relocation to Toulouse. The flanker has been very impressive for the French side, though, and Steve Borthwick was clear on how Willis had impressed him in the last couple of months.
“He hunts,” Borthwick said of his chosen openside. “You watch his games, you watch him train – he hunts. It’s very easy for us to talk about that stealing the ball on the floor, but I also see him carrying the ball really effectively. Physically he moves well, his low ground mobility is excellent.
“He has been through a lot in his career, and he is still a young man. I see tremendous resilience and character.”
Team News - Italy
After a performance of yet more great strides against France, Kieran Crowley backs a similar side to go again against England. There are two changes to the starting fifteen, both somewhat anticipated: Marco Riccioni, despite injury issues, has impressed sparring with English props at Saracens over the last couple of seasons and pairs nicely with do-everything Danilo Fischetti; Edoardo Padovani’s experience and aerial ability should be valuable in an otherwise youthful back three.
There’s still no Paolo Garbisi, with Crowley loading up again with six forwards on the bench. Among them, special mention must be reserved for Jake Polledri – a unique player who it is great to see back on the international stage after an incredibly rough time of things over the last couple of years.
Italy XV: Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Marco Riccioni; Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (capt.), Lorenzo Cannone; Stephen Varney, Tommaso Allan; Tommaso Menoncello, Luca Morisi, Juan Ignacio Brex, Edoardo Padovani; Ange Capuozzo.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Simone Ferrari, Edoardo Iachizzi, Jake Polledri, Manuel Zuliani; Alessandro Fusco, Pierre Bruno.
Team News - England
There’s a new look to new England this week, with Owen Farrell occupying the number ten shirt for his country for the first time in more than two years. The captain shifts in one from the centres, with Marcus Smith dropped to the bench after starting every England game last year.
Steve Borthwick is a great fan of Henry Slade, and the centre’s return is therefore welcome for the England coach, who pairs the Exeter man with Ollie Lawrence to Farrell’s outside. Up front, there is a single alteration – Ben Curry’s time as his brother’s stand-in was brief, with Jack Willis fully up to speed and the first French-based player to play for England in the Six Nations in 11 years.
England’s back replacements are primed to sizzle, with Alex Mitchell, the aforementioned Smith and a returning Henry Arundell ensuring there should be an injection of attacking verve if required. Jack Walker, unused last week, still awaits a debut.
England XV: Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum; Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt; Jack van Poortvliet, Owen Farrell (capt.); Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Max Malins; Freddie Steward.
Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl; Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Henry Arundell.
England vs Italy
It’s a slightly damp day at Twickenham, drizzle on the windscreen on the way in, but the promise of spring in the rise of the mercury up into double figures.
An hour until kick off - let’s take a closer look through the two teams....
Italy head coach Kieran Crowley expects England to present a “more direct and unified” test under Steve Borthwick at Twickenham on Sunday.
Borthwick’s first game as England boss ended in Guinness Six Nations defeat last weekend as Scotland beat them 29-23 to lift the Calcutta Cup.
But Crowley believes Borthwick has now had the necessary time since succeeding Eddie Jones to get his methods and principles across to the players.
“I think they will be a lot more direct and unified,” said former New Zealand back Crowley after making two changes to the side that narrowly lost their championship opener to France in Rome.
“When a new coach comes in it takes a little bit of time. But they’ve had three weeks now, so I expect that defence will be a lot more solid.”
Italy expect ‘more direct and unified’ test from England – boss Kieran Crowley
The Azzurri suffered late heartbreak in their Six Nations opener against France
Eddie Jones makes fresh England dig at Steve Borthwick
Eddie Jones admits that Steve Borthwick was “probably right” when stating he had inherited an England team that “weren’t good at anything”.
Borthwick, who took over from Jones as head coach in December, offered the damning assessment following last Saturday’s 29-23 Six Nations defeat by Scotland at Twickenham.
Jones was sacked after presiding over a dire 2022 and, having now taken charge of Australia, he accepts his attempts to enhance England’s attack created problems.
“Well he’s probably right and that’s part of the problem,” Jones said on his podcast EDDIE. “We were trying to morph a team that had had a very good set-piece and very good kicking game.
“The way that the game is played at the moment, that will win you games but it’s probably not good enough to be World Cup champions.
“And so expanding the attack sometimes takes away from your strengths and they’re going through that difficult period now where they’re trying to get that balance right in their game.
“But Steve will fix it. There’s no doubt he’ll fix it. And keep blaming me. That’s all right, I’ve got a pretty strong back and pretty strong shoulders to absorb that.”
Steve Borthwick explains England team selection
Owen Farrell has been entrusted with the fly-half duties for England’s Six Nations clash with Italy after Steve Borthwick underlined the role played by Henry Slade’s return in unlocking his midfield selection.
Marcus Smith has been dropped to accommodate Farrell’s move from inside centre to the number 10 jersey, breaking up the playmaking axis that has been in place for the last eight Tests.
Completing the overhaul for the round-two match at Twickenham is Slade’s return at outside centre after missing the defeat by Scotland because of a groin injury and Ollie Lawrence’s return at 12.
With Farrell restored to his preferred position and Lawrence offering a powerful running option, the midfield has a balance that has been made possible by Slade.
“In terms of the dynamic, having Henry available this week is very important,” said Borthwick. “When I was an assistant coach with England, Henry played in some very important games for us and he brought some strengths in some really important games.
“Coming back, I can’t tell you how impressed I have been with him. He’s a seasoned campaigner, at both international level and club level and has an outstanding skillset.”
Ellis Genge tells England to ‘find our fire’ against Italy
Ellis Genge has demanded England look inwards for inspiration rather than relying on the roar of Twickenham when they face an Italy side in the ascendancy.
Steve Borthwick’s reign opened with a 29-23 defeat by Scotland and while the Azzurri have traditionally been the weakest opponents in the Six Nations, they have been revitalised by last year’s victories over Wales and Australia.
Even though the Calcutta Cup ultimately remained in Scottish hands the buzz had returned to Twickenham. However, Sunday matches at the venue tend to produce more muted atmospheres.
Genge, England’s vice-captain, insists his team must “find our own fire” in their pursuit of their first win under Eddie Jones’ successor.
“I’d be worried if we don’t motivate ourselves to be honest,” the Bristol prop said.
“If we’re not trying to win and are relying on the fans to give us the energy to do so, we are probably not in the right spot.
“It’s brilliant to have a loud crowd and loads of noise but in the same breath it’s not something we’re necessarily relying on - we have got to find our own fire.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments