England fly-half Marcus Smith maintained his 100 per cent try-scoring record in the Six Nations after breaking the deadlock in Sunday's 33-0 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.
Eddie Jones ' men got off the mark and secured their first win of the 2022 Six Nations in Rome, where it was Harlequins ace Smith who ran in the game's opening score.
He was joined on the score sheet by team-mates Jamie George (two), Elliot Daly and Kyle Sinckler, although Jones may be alarmed at how his side eased off their hosts in the second half.
England's win won't make up for last week's damaging Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland, though it served to remind of their strength in depth and will do no harm to the points differential.
George's double may prove particularly meaningful in the wake of Luke Cowan-Dickie's sin-bin display in Edinburgh, perhaps forcing a rethink in England's hooker debate ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.
Smith was among those retained from the Murrayfield defeat to Gregor Townsend's side and celebrated his selection with a second try in as many Six Nations outings.
A quick-fire exchange with winger Max Malins put the No. 10 in down the left wing with less than 10 minutes on the board, crossing over in a very similar area to his score against Scotland one week prior.
Saracens hooker George celebrated his return to the starting XV with a brace before the half-time whistle, the first of which came thanks to a far-from-glamorous drive off the ruck from less than a metre out.
The same couldn't be said for his second, however, as George capitalised on some loose Italian passing to intercept in their own half and set the gears in motion for their third try of the half.
England made the most of an overlap on the right wing, where George ran onto a lovely looping pass from Ellis Genge and barrelled over despite Italy's best efforts to block his route to the line.
Sarries team-mate Saracens would have joined the first-half raid with a leap over at the breakdown to dot down himself, only for the score to be ruled out due to Nick Isiekwe straying offside at the line-out.
Daly—who replaced Jack Nowell following a first-half head-injury—glided in to seal the bonus point soon after the restart, getting on the end of a lasered Smith pass to score his first England try in almost a year (March 2021).
ITV pundit Sir Clive Woodward stressed the need for England to conjure up a similarly devastating second-half performance in Rome, but ebbing intensity levels meant Italy enjoyed far more ball (albeit with no end product).
Substitute Sinckler completed the rout with a run under the posts after Malins helped chase down a speculative up-and-under from Smith, who was confirmed as Player of the Match shortly after.
It spoke volumes of the drop in attacking impetus that Ollie Chessum's England debut off the bench was one of the more notable moments of the second period.
Leicester Tigers team-mate Ben Youngs also drew level with Jason Leonard as the most capped England player of all time, earning a 114th cap for his country to put him within one of setting a new record total.
Smith hailed the "special atmosphere" in Rome after cruising over for his second England try in as many Six Nations games, highlighting England's desire to respond strongly after their loss to Scotland.
The Quins creator acknowledged England had "loads to work on" before they host Wales in a fortnight, however: "We're still early on in our journey as a team, but to win away from home again in a tough competition is good.
"We'll enjoy tonight, and then we'll get back on the horse tomorrow."
The only team still yet to claim a point after two rounds, Italy look destined to be awarded the Six Nations Wooden Spoon for a seventh year in succession.
Their chances of ending the recent rut in Round 3 don't look very good, either, with Crowley's side set to visit Ireland in Dublin (Feb. 27) after a week's break from the competition.
England will hope to use their visit to Rome as a chance to build some momentum before they welcome Wales to Twickenham (Feb. 26) in what will be their first home game of this year's tournament.
ENGLAND- Tries: Smith, George 2, Daly, Sinckler. Cons: Smith 4.
