England vs Italy LIVE: Result and reaction from Six Nations as England seal big win to stay in title hunt
England 47-24 Italy: A superb attacking display from Steve Borthwick’s side kept their title hopes alive heading into the final weekend
England cut loose to keep their Six Nations title hopes alive with a seven-try, 49-24 win over a hapless Italy.
Narrow victories over France and Scotland served as overdue tight successes for Steve Borthwick’s side, though they themselves have conceded that they had been yet to produce their best in this campaign. This, then, felt like a significant step forward as the hosts showed far more attacking ambition, eventually putting Italy to the sword after a helter-skelter first half.
Borthwick had left Marcus Smith on the bench and dropped Henry Slade entirely for the visit of the Azzurri, but were forced into an early backline reshuffle after injury to Ollie Lawrence. Smith’s arrival and a star performance from Elliot Daly, moved to outside centre, opened up England’s attacking game, allowing them to pile up the points as the Azzurri suffered another damaging day. The shipping of 11 tries in Rome against France punctured the optimism that had surrounded Gonzalo Quesada’s squad and this felt like another significant step back.
Re-live all of the actionn from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in our live blog below:
TRY! England 7-0 Italy (Tom Willis, 5 mins)
Good defensive set by England, they force the knock-on in contact from Varney and Daly then surges up to halfway.
A barrelling carry by Earl makes more yards, they go right and Freeman charges down the wing before popping inside.
Mitchell flings the ball to Tom Willis who splits two defenders and dives over for the try. Dare I say that was a bit too easy for England. Fin Smith adds the conversion. Ideal start for the hosts.
England 0-0 Italy, 2 mins
England’s first pass of the day hits the deck as Freeman’s radar is off but it bounces backwards, so no harm done.
England try to build from a lineout on halfway but give away the breakdown penalty and Italy move into English territory
KICK-OFF! England 0-0 Italy
And we’re off in southwest London! Fin Smith kicks the ball into the Twickenham air. It’s short and contestable but Italy dive on it.
Kick-off imminent
Anthems done and we’re ready for kick-off. Can England make it three wins on the spin at Twickenham?
Jamie George runs out for 100th cap
Before the rest of the teams emerge, Jamie George walks out on to the Allianz Stadium turf on his own to receive the rapturous applause for his 100th cap.
I say on his own, he’s the only player to come out but his young daughter Lydia is with him in his arms. A lovely moment for the George family and a well deserved accolade for one of rugby’s genuine good guys.
The rest of the players follow and we’re only a few minutes away from kick-off. It’s the anthems first, though.
Match officials for England vs Italy
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)
Asisstant Referees: Craig Evans (Wal) & Luc Ramos (Fra)
Television Match Official: Marius Jonker (SA)
Foul Play Review Officer: Mike Adamson (Sco)
England vs Italy
It is a simply glorious day at Twickenham, nary a cloud in the sky and the sun beating down to make it feel more like mid-July than early March. I must say it is rather welcome after a couple of chilly outings at the start of this tournament.
Can England utilise the dry, dreamy conditions to open up their attacking game?
Jamie George gets moving messages on his 100th cap
This is well worth five minutes of your time before kick-off. Jamie George has received plenty of messages ahead of his 100th cap this afternoon.
The time for patience is over – England must finally deliver a complete Six Nations performance
There is a famous television interview that came to stand as a signature memory of Steve Borthwick’s oft-maligned tenure as England captain. It was February 2010 at the Stadio Flaminio and England had endured a dreadful day, barely squeaking by a limited Italian side. Off the skipper came to face the BBC microphone, before uttering a short sentence that came to define his muddled, morose stint.
“I thought some of the stuff we did was outstanding,” was the misjudged reply to the questioning of Sonja McLaughlan, an opinion that the ever-forthright No 8 Nick Easter almost immediately disagreed with. “My god, that was boring,” Easter remarked post-match – an assessment most felt rather more correct. Borthwick lasted just two more matches before a knee injury ended his Six Nations; that July, while the lock was on his honeymoon in Bali, a call from Martin Johnson ended his international career entirely.
The time for patience is over – England must finally deliver a complete performance
Gonzalo Quesada urges Italy to show their true selves
Gonzalo Quesada was deeply disappointed with Italy’s meek defensive surrender to France, a bright start fading dramatically as the visitors piled up the points a fortnight ago. It felt like the sort of performance that had been confined to the past under the Argentine coach, and he is expecting a reaction from his squad today.
"In the second half we struggled to defend as we wanted to,” Quesada admitted of the 73-24 loss.
"It was not just a technical or organisational problem, rather there was no respect for roles and principles. I had never seen the team lost, trying to solve things individually, without a collective organisation.
“Now we will have to assess whether it (France defeat) was an accident for a team that has been together for just over a year, and whether we will be able to resume a linear path and show who we really are.”
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