Italy vs England LIVE: Six Nations rugby final score, result and reaction from Rome today
Follow latest updates from Rome as Eddie Jones’ side win their first game of the 2022 tournament
England showed the ruthless streak demanded by Eddie Jones as they atoned for their shattering collapse against Scotland by outclassing Italy 33-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Jones had urged his team to “light up Rome” and in response they delivered a five-try rout orchestrated by man of the match Marcus Smith to inflict a 34th successive Championship defeat on the Azzurri.
England had stormed 21-0 ahead by half-time and Smith was at the heart of many of their best moments, but he truly shone when firing a superb missed pass to provide Elliot Daly with a simple try in the 45th minute.
And unlike at Murrayfield a week earlier when he was replaced in the 63rd minute to widespread puzzlement, there was no sign of George Ford arriving off the bench until late on and this time Joe Marchant made way.
Ben Youngs eventually joined him at half-back to equal Jason Leonard’s record as England’s most capped player on 114 appearances, with the round-three visit of Wales to Twickenham the likely setting for him to surpass the milestone. Follow the latest reaction from Rome:
Keeping a close eye on the warm-up
And Kieran Crowley has been doing some pre-match nattering, too
“That was a great result for the U20s, they played really well. We are building, we have got to construct an identity. Bit by bit in each game we have got to create that identity and earn some respect and credibility.
“The challenge today will be very physical but hopefully we can meet that physicality and start to put our game on the paddock, which we were unable to do last week.”
Eddie Jones: England hope to play with ‘plenty of energy, purpose and pace'
Player to Watch – Federico Mori
While much has been rightly made of Paolo Garbisi’s move to Montpellier, garnering far fewer mentions has been Federico Mori’s own French adventure. Another of Italy’s burgeoning young stars, the well-built Mori missed out in Paris last week but should add plenty off the wing to this Italian side.
The nephew of world champion hurdler Fabrizio, Mori has produced a number of eye-catching moments despite a crowded backs division at high-flying Bordeaux. His long-term future may well lie at centre, but Mori’s matchup with Jack Nowell on the wing should provide plenty of intrigue – the pair are not dissimilar as players, and both relish a little bit of contact.
Player to Watch – Alex Dombrandt
The decision to not pick Alex Dombrandt from the start and then deploy the Harlequin on the blindside from the bench raised a few eyebrows at Murrayfield at last weekend, particularly given Dombrandt did not spend significant time alongside club partner-in-crime Marcus Smith. Certainly he has been the form number eight of the Premiership season, a player who has added a significant workrate to his extravagant skillset. His relationship with Smith is extraordinary, a sort of eight-ten telepathy that gets the best out of each and the partnership.
“He is not an orthodox eight,” Eddie Jones said of Dombrandt this week. “He is a free-running eight who reminds me a lot of Bobby Skinstad the way he used to play. Gets himself in good positions to attack but he needs space and this game is going to have a fair bit of space so it will really suit him.”
Dombrandt and Smith combine wonderfully with Danny Care at Harlequins, and Harry Randall is not cut from drastically different cloth. If there is space to be found you can be sure that three of the most adventurous players at England’s disposal will find it.
Player to Watch – Joe Marchant
Joe Marchant won’t hold on to too many fond memories of his first visit to Murrayfield. Having spent much of the week in isolation, Marchant was asked to start on limited preparation out wide and was stepped decisively by Darcy Graham for Ben White’s score, before leaving Luke Cowan-Dickie exposed on the wing in his haste to cover across after the first of Finn Russell’s two fine cross-kicks.
Marchant is a better player than he showed, and gets the chance to again combine with Henry Slade in his preferred 13 shirt. The pair adapted brilliantly against South Africa in November after the early loss of Manu Tuilagi to injury, and as England continue to seek midfield solutions when Tuilagi is absent then Marchant makes sense as an alternative option. He may not pack the same carrying punch but is a beautifully balanced player with a knack for hitting the right angle, and his familiarity with Marcus Smith is only a positive.
Player to Watch – Michele Lamaro
Michele Lamaro’s lot is a pretty tough one, all things considered. Having been elevated to the Italian captaincy at the age of 23 in November, the flanker must contend with a side so often outmatched, which is the blunt reality of the battles facing Italy each spring and autumn. But Lamaro wears the burden well – he is a lively talker, even in his non-native tongue, but also someone who seems realistic about his side’s limitations and challenges.
He is an excellent player, which helps, in many ways embodying the spirit of this iteration of the Italian side – young, battling, tough. He led the defensive effort from the front last week, handling his business efficiently in a revamped structure that plays more to Italy’s strengths. They will face another tough test against England, but the back row remains an area of strength, with Braam Steyn and Toa Halafhi alongside their skipper ensuring there should be plenty of carrying punch.
Team News – England
It is six changes for England, four in the pack, two in the backs, and one of each requiring a slight reshuffle. Lewis Ludlam had a very strong performance last weekend but took a bang to the ribs which has ruled him out of a trip to Rome, so Maro Itoje slides over to blindside flanker – Charlie Ewels replaces him in the second row. Eddie Jones believes this may be the ideal sort of fixture for Alex Dombrandt at number eight, while there are starts in the front row for Jamie George and Will Stuart.
Joe Marchant, having had a tough evening at Murrayfield, moves inwards to reform a centre partnership with Henry Slade that performed so well against South Africa in the autumn, allowing Jack Nowell to return to an England starting side for the first time in a while. At scrum-half, Harry Randall starts for the first time in the Six Nations, with his livewire combination with Marcus Smith set to provide plenty of sizzle.
Two Tigers at opposite ends of their careers on the bench deserve a spotlight: the sizeable Ollie Chessum can cover the back-row and lock, and should add plenty of work-rate if called for a debut; Leicester teammate Ben Youngs will draw level with Jason Leonard as England’s most capped male player if he wins a 114th cap.
England: Steward; Malins, Marchant, Slade, Nowell; Smith, Randall; Genge, George, Stuart, Ewels, Isiekwe, Itoje, Curry (capt), Dombrandt.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Marler, Sinckler, Chessum, Simmonds, Youngs, Ford, Daly.
Team News – Italy
There were plenty of positives for Italy in Paris last week, and Kieran Crowley will hope a slightly tweaked side can continue to grow. Braam Steyn steps in for Sebastian Negri on the blindside, and should ensure there is little drop off in bite in contact. Brive’s Pietro Ceccarelli starts at loosehead.
Out wide, there is no place for last week’s try-scorer on debut Tommaso Menoncello, but a summer move to Bordeaux has allowed Federico Mori a chance to showcase his skills in the Top 14 and the versatile, powerfully-built back forms an exciting wing partnership with Monty Ioane.
Italy: Padovani; Mori, Brex, Zanon, Ioane; Garbisi, Varney; Fischetti, Lucchesi, Ceccarelli, Cannone, Ruzza, Steyn, Lamaro (capt), Halafihi.
Replacements: Faiva, Traore, Pasquali, Sisi, Negri, Pettinelli, Fusco, Marin.
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