England got their Six Nations campaign back on track with a convincing win over Italy in Rome.
Eddie Jones’ side were looking to bounce back after suffering defeat at the hands of Scotland in their opening game of the championship.
They got past Italy with a commanding performance, which saw them secure a bonus point too after scoring five tries.
Simon Collings ran the rule over the England team...
Freddie Steward 7
Made a couple of nice breaks and looked dangerous in the open field. Solid, as you’d expect, under the high ball.
Max Malins 8
Flawless under the high ball and didn’t put a foot wrong in defence. Linked up really well with Smith for England’s opening try and setup Sinckler for one too.
Joe Marchant 7
Defensively he was excellent and didn’t give Italy a sniff. He will be frustrated he didn’t have more of an impact in attack, though.
Henry Slade 7
Solid performance at inside-centre as he looked to control things with Smith, and almost scored a late try. Should shift to 13, though, when Manu Tuilagi returns.
Jack Nowell 6
Started brightly and was looking like his tenacious self, particularly in defence. Was forced off after just 17 minutes, though, due to a head injury.
Marcus Smith 9 | Star man
The golden boy of English rugby can seemingly do no wrong right now. Got England going with their opening try and proceeded to run the show from there.
Harry Randall 8
Was tasked with speeding up England’s ball and adding some zip to their play. He certainly did that and will be pushing for more starts.
Ellis Genge 7
Setup George’s try with a big miss-pass that was impressive from the prop. He was dominant in scrum and carried well too.
Jamie George 9
Scored two tries, with the second in particular a really good finish. He was solid at the set-piece too, continually hitting his man in the line-out.
Will Stuart 6
A fairly solid performance from the prop. Started a bit shaky but improved as the half went on. Taken off at the break for Sinckler.
Charlie Ewels 6
Had an okay performance, but largely went under the radar as he was out shone by Isiekwe alongside him.
Nick Isiekwe 7
Had a few good carries and looked strong in the loose. Put in some big hits in defence and gave some power to the second row in the absence of Courtney Lawes.
Maro Itoje 8
A dominant performance from the Saracens star, who was very strong in defence. Looked good in attack too and had a try disallowed.
Tom Curry 7
Captain for the second game in a row and put in a good performance. Worked hard at the breakdown and kept Italy at bay.
Alex Dombrandt 7
Renowned for his attacking play, but it was his defensive work that caught the eye. Tackled well and made a few excellent steals at the breakdown.
Replacements
Elliot Daly (Nowell 17’) 7
On early than expected after Nowell was forced to come off after failing an HIA. Scored a nice try after Smith fizzed the ball to him off first phase following a scrum.
Kyle Sinckler (Stuart 40’) 8
On at the break and got about his work early, bossing Italy in the scrum. Was dangerous in the loose too and scored a late try.
Ben Youngs (Randall 55’) 6
Came off the bench to win his 114th cap, which makes him the joint record holder for England. Had a shaky start, dropping the ball, but improved.
Sam Simmonds (Isiekwe 55’) 6
Made a few carries as he looked to make an impact, but couldn’t take advantage of the tiring Italian defence.
Luke Cowan-Dickie (George 56’) 7
Looked keen to make amends after last week and did well. Stole one crucial turnover when England were defending on their line.
Ollie Chessum (Curry 65’) 7
Off the bench for his England debut and stole a line-out with his first touch. Chased well for Sinckler’s try too.
Joe Marler (Genge 65’) 6
On for the final 15 minutes as England looked to see out the win and was solid at the set-piece.
George Ford (Marchant 74’) N/A
