England vs Italy match report: Jonathan Joseph takes wing as England soar

England 47 Italy 17: Bath flyer claims third try in two Tests as Lancaster’s men brush aside Italy to set up pivotal showdown with Ireland in Dublin

Jonathan Joseph scores his second try against Italy (Getty Images)

A convincing win for England, with six tries scored including two for the in-form Bath centre Jonathan Joseph to keep them on course for a first Grand Slam since 2003, but it came with a tantalising conundrum.

The accidental blow to the head that removed the stalwart full-back Mike Brown early in the piece ushered on Billy Twelvetrees at inside centre with a resulting reshuffle that included shifting Joseph to the right wing. And England looked better balanced for it. Hmm. Sorting selection out for the much more challenging visit to Ireland a fortnight today will be, as the saying goes, what the coaches get paid the big bucks for.

An Italian team ranked 14th in the world and well beaten by Ireland in Rome eight days ago landed some blows in the shape of three well constructed tries, and provided food for thought for England’s Six Nations table-toppers as they prepare for Dublin, with Scotland and France back here at Twickenham to complete the Championship in March. On the upside, England were familiarly formidable in the set-piece scrum and line-out, while the captain Chris Robshaw topped the tackle count – no surprise there.

Italy were ahead for most of the first quarter, thanks to a try in the fourth minute by their totemic captain Sergio Parisse. A clattering run by Luca Morisi took the centre past Anthony Watson, Dave Attwood and Mike Brown, and after some recycling Parisse took a pass form Leonardo Sarto to score. It was swiftly followed by the loss of Brown on a stretcher, after a tackle caused his head to collide with Andrea Masi’s shoulder. Brown was later seen watching at pitchside and the England staff appeared confident he would be fit for the next match.

Luther Burrell and Joseph were shifted along the three-quarters to make room for Twelvetrees, while Watson moved to his regular club position of full-back. Burrell and Jospeh, too, had played international or club rugby in their new roles so it was not a huge disruption.

Mike Brown is knocked out after a collision with Andrea Masi (Getty Images)

And England soon nudged into a lead they would never relinquish with a penalty by George Ford after 19 minutes and a try that included a dollop of luck three minutes later. Ford’s penalty to touch gave England a fully manned five-metre line-out, and they attacked the short side from Robshaw’s catch. Billy Vunipola pummelled into the covering Parisse and Edoardo Gori, and there was doubt in the ensuing pile-up whether Vunipola retained control as the ball hit the turf, but the television official, George Ayoub, gave it.

Jonathan Joseph scores a try for England (Getty Images)

With back-pedalling Italians conceding penalties, a second England try arrived on 26 minutes. Joseph had sliced wales apart from short range in the 21-16 win in Cardiff that kicked off the Six Nations; here the lithe 23-year-old – who was first capped in summer 2012 but unable to make his place stick – did it with a surging sprint from halfway. Morisi was turned over as Italy tried an attack from a scrum, and the electric Joseph sidestepped the 18-stone Italy fly-half Kelly Haimona in a split second before haring away. Ford’s conversion and two missed penalties by Haimona had England 15-5 to the good, but it would have been more if Jonny May hadn’t butchered an overlap.

George Kruis celebrates with Ben Youngs after scoring (Getty Images)

By now, though, it was the detail not the result that was intriguing. Ford’s 46th-minute penalty was followed by a lovely try for Italy as Morisi sniped past Attwood and Watson’s last-ditch ankle-tap after Sarto’s deft chip and catch. Near the end Morisi had another try, brilliantly finished through May’s tackle and converted by Tommaso Allan.

But in the meantime England powered from 18-10 into a commanding lead of 37 points with a rush of four tries in 18 minutes. Ben Youngs scored at the posts with a smart tap-and-go after an Italian scrum penalty, and Ford converted and added a penalty when Andrea Masi spilt the ball in his 22. Then a set move from a scrum with Ford looping round Twelvetrees sent the sparkling Joseph clear for his third try in two Tests.

Jonathan Joseph scores his second try against Italy (Getty Images)

The fifth and sixth England tries went to two men we were not sure we would have see again on this hallowed stage. Danny Cipriani replaced Ford for his first Test action here since 2008 and quickly converted his own try in support of May. Then Nick Easter rounded off a driving maul to become England’s oldest try scorer at 36 years and six months.

Danny Cipriani dives over the line to score a try (Getty Images)

Line-ups:

England: M Brown (B Twelvetrees, 13); A Watson, J Joseph, L Burrell, J May; G Ford (D Cipriani, 63), B Youngs (R Wigglesworth, 67); J Marler (M Vunipola, 63), D Hartley (T Youngs, 59), D Cole (K Brookes, 59), D Attwood (N Easter, 51), G Kruis, J Haskell (T Croft, 63), C Robshaw (capt), B Vunipola.

Italy: L McLean; L Sarto, L Morisi, A Masi, G Venditti; K Haimona (T Allan, 70), E Gori (G Palazzani, 70); A de Marchi (M Aguero, 59), L Ghiraldini (A Manici, 59), M Castrogiovanni (D Chistolini, 59), G Biagi, M Bortolami (J Furno, 46), F Minto (S Vunisa, 29-38), M Bergamasco (Vunisa, 59), S Parisse (capt).

Referee: J Lacey (Ireland).