For the first time since 2019 England have managed to win their opening Six Nations fixture. It did not come without the occasional ripple of alarm, particularly when Italy established a 17-8 lead in the first half, but tries from Elliot Daly and Alex Mitchell plus 17 points from George Ford’s boot enabled Steve Borthwick’s reshuffled side to finish narrowly in credit.
No one would remotely describe the performance as perfect, as the new captain, Jamie George, had warned in advance. But squinting into the bright sun on a glorious Roman afternoon it was at least possible to see the beginnings of a team slightly less afraid of their own attacking shadow. Tommy Freeman, in particular, added an extra dimension as a roaming wing, wearing 14 but regularly popping up to pose a threat all over the field, and one of the handful of Red Rose debutants, the Exeter flanker Ethan Roots, was named man of the match.
