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England continued their progress under Eddie Jones with a 40-9 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
The first half was a rather dull affair, with George Ford scoring the only try of the half, and at the break, England were only ahead 11-9.
However after the interval, England came alive. Jonathan Joseph scored a hat-trick and Owen Farrell also managed to get over the whitewash following a lovely offload from Jamie George. All of Italy's points came from the boot of Carlo Canna, but the Azurri failed to register a point in the second half.
Have a look through the gallery below to find out how the players fared...
Show all 30 1 /30Italy vs England player ratings Italy vs England player ratings <b> Italy: <b/> Luke McLean: 7 out of 10 The fullback had a lot of work this afternoon, but was generally effective defensively and clever with his kicking.
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Italy vs England player ratings Leonardo Sarto: 5 out of 10 The winger threw the pass that led to Joseph’s first try and was largely anonymous, despite trying to get involved.
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Italy vs England player ratings Michele Campagnaro: 7 out of 10 Was easily Italy’s most dangerous back and was never beaten on the outside by Jonathan Joseph. The centre just does the basics so well.
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Italy vs England player ratings Gonzalo Garcia: 6 out of 10 So unlucky to be forced off injured but showed in the time he was on showed solidity in defence and was effective at carrying the ball to the line.
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Italy vs England player ratings Mattia Bellini: 5 out of 10 Like Sarto, Bellini struggled to get into the game but did show a effective turn of pace on a couple of occasions.
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Italy vs England player ratings Carlo Canna: 7 out of 10 Another impressive performance from the young flyhalf, orchestrating his backline brilliantly and kicking – for the most part – with intent and danger. Certainly Italy’s best option at flyhalf.
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Italy vs England player ratings Edoardo Gori: 6 out of 10 The Italian scrum half generally kicks very well, but sometimes is guilty of choosing the wrong pass when there are easier options available.
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Italy vs England player ratings Andrea Lovotti: 5 out of 10 Lovotti struggled when scrimmaging against Dan Cole but put a lot of effort into defending the breakdown.
Italy vs England player ratings Omel Gega: 6 out of 10 The hooker made the majority of his throws, but like Lovotti struggled to make an impact in the loose – only carrying the ball three times.
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Italy vs England player ratings Lorenzo Cittadini: 5 out of 10 Didn’t concede any penalties at scrum time but like his front row colleagues wasn’t involved in open play nearly enough.
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Italy vs England player ratings George Biagi: 7 out of 10 Biagi can certainly hold his head high after today’s result. The second row made 14 tackles and carried the ball nine times, he seemed to be all over the pitch and was unlucky to be on the losing side.
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Italy vs England player ratings Marco Fuser: 5 out of 10 Fuser was unfortunate to be forced from play early on in the game and never had the chance to stamp his mark on the match.
Italy vs England player ratings Francesco Minto: 6 out of 10 Like Biagi, Minto made his presence felt with a courageous performance. The flanker made 10 carries and was putting Ben Youngs under a lot of pressure throughout the first half.
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Italy vs England player ratings Alessandro Zanni: 5 out of 10 A quiet afternoon for Zanni. The flanker failed to make an impact for the most part, but got through a lot of work at the breakdown.
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Italy vs England player ratings Sergio Parisse: 8 out of 10 Parisse never seems to have a bad game when playing for his country. He carried the ball on 15 different occasions and is a constant threat whether defending or attacking. Without a doubt we are watching Italy’s greatest ever rugby player in action every time he steps on the field.
Italy vs England player ratings <b> England: <b/> Mike Brown: 6 out of 10 England’s fullback was rarely tested but as always was a safe pair of hands at the back and ran the ball back effectively the few times he was granted the opportunity.
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Italy vs England player ratings Anthony Watson: 5 out of 10 Both of England’s wingers failed to make much of a contribution going forward, but once again Watson was safe under the high ball and made a couple of nice little breaks.
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Italy vs England player ratings Jonathan Joseph: 9 out of 10 England’s match winner. The centre got himself a hat-trick of tries and was constantly a danger with the ball in his hands showing pace, power and great footwork. The speedster has made the 13 shirt his own despite competition from Elliot Daly and the returning Manu Tuilagi.
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Italy vs England player ratings Owen Farrell: 7 out of 10 Having a second playmaker in international rugby has almost become a necessity and Farrell was showing why with his performance. He set up Ford’s try with a great step and pass, kicked his goals and was solid in defence throughout.
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Italy vs England player ratings Jack Nowell: 5 out of 10 Was safe in defence as always, but didn’t make any telling contributions when going forward.
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Italy vs England player ratings George Ford: 7 out of 10 Misplaced a few kicks and surprisingly struggled with his passing game early on. Ford's excellent up and under created the momentum for his try, but he will still feel that he could have offered more.
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Italy vs England player ratings Ben Youngs: 8 out of 10 Arguably England’s best player in the first half, making good breaks around the breakdown and putting in some clever kicks behind the defence. Danny Care also impressed after coming on and their battle for the scrum half jersey goes on.
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Italy vs England player ratings Mako Vunipola: 6 out of 10 The prop is excellent in the loose but England’s scrum was far more powerful after the introduction of Joe Marler.
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Italy vs England player ratings Dylan Hartley: 6 out of 10 England’s lineout was in shambles throughout the first half. Hartley can’t be blamed entirely as he made the majority of his throws, but regardless work needs to be done ahead of Ireland’s visit to Twickenham.
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Italy vs England player ratings Dan Cole: 7 out of 10 Lasted the longest of the front three that started the game and showed again that he is one of England’s most consistent performers.
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Italy vs England player ratings Courtney Lawes: 6 out of 10 Put a lot of work into the game, but struggled to make an impact. A ferocious presence at the breakdown but will hope for more action in his next outing.
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Italy vs England player ratings Kruis was simply outstanding in Rome. He played a huge role in two of Joseph’s tries and was constantly harassing any Italian at the breakdown. Can be deemed partly responsible for England’s troubles at the lineout, but an incredible performance from the second row.
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Italy vs England player ratings Chris Robshaw: 6 out of 10 England’s former captain gets through so much work every time he plays and while we may not notice it, his team-mates and coaches certainly will. Always around the breakdown and looks better playing at six rather than seven.
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Italy vs England player ratings James Haskell: 6 out of 10 Haskell took the game to Italy early on with a number of huge hits. The flanker brings some real physicality to England’s back row but was lucky not to see yellow for a tackle in the air early in the second half.
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Italy vs England player ratings Billy Vunipola: 7 out of 10 Another impressive performance from England’s no. 8. The big man has the incredible ability to make yards even if the scrum or maul is moving backwards, making such a difference when the pressure is on.
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Who was your man of the match? Let us know in the comments below.
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