No one expected it to be easy for Italy. No one expected it to be anything other than straightforward for England. The Red Roses duly achieved a resounding six-try win in launching their attempt at a seventh successive title, but after scoring five first-half tries they stuttered after the break and waited until two minutes from time for a second-half score. “We left a bit out there,” the head coach, John Mitchell, conceded.
England’s hot streak now stretches to 21 consecutive matches, since after the World Cup final defeat by New Zealand in 2022, but there was ultimately a lack of fluency here in York that may concern Mitchell, who celebrated his 61st birthday and ushered in what may become a special year with a win.
