Owen Farrell has admitted his surprise at the strength of criticism around his midfield partnership with Marcus Smith.
Calls have grown for new head coach Steve Borthwick to choose one of Farrell or Smith at fly-half, and sit the other on England’s bench.
Borthwick has been determined to drive on with the Smith-Farrell 10-12 axis however, with dual playmakers deemed the way forward into the new England era.
When quizzed on the clamour for Borthwick to install either himself or Smith at fly-half, rather than field both men at the same time, a nonplussed Farrell held his tongue in search of a diplomatic response.
Asked if he has been surprised by calls to split up his developing partnership with Smith, Farrell replied: “Usually when something... I’m trying to say this in the right way – yes.
“I understand, we’re talking about attack, we’re talking about two people that are trying to help control that attack, I guess. But we’ve had it every which way, and we’ve attacked well, and we’ve attacked not so well.
“So, we’ve had all the combinations really, and we’re just looking to make sure that as a team we’re getting better, and that as a team we’re looking at how we can be at our best.
“I think people make too much of a deal of it. It’s probably the bigger picture we should be looking at more, but I understand. I understand that it’s what people look at, but I try not to look too much into it.”
England’s attack fired in a way not seen for some time despite Saturday’s Scotland defeat, with Max Malins racing in twice and Ellis Genge also crossing.
Borthwick’s men generated crisp, rapid ruck ball and conjured a clutch of devastating set moves, as Harlequins’ on-loan attack specialist Nick Evans got to grips with the front-foot game.
England still wasted several fine attacking openings though, and paid the price in defeat by leaking four tries through ragged defence.
Borthwick now desperately needs lift-off for his new era at the second attempt against Italy, and Farrell remains convinced his partnership with Smith can flourish.
“People focus on it too much; it’s much more about how you make the team run, and how we fit into that, not how that fits into the team,” said Farrell.
“Marcus and I talk rugby a lot. Marcus and I spend a lot of time together, Marcus and I are pretty open, I would say, in the way that we go about reviewing, previewing, where we can be better, what we can do.
“That’s not to say we’re always going to agree or disagree or anything, but we’re very open and willing to get on the same page as quick as we can do, yeah.”
Jack Willis is in line to feature for the first time under Borthwick against Italy after being preferred to Ben Curry in the back-row stocks.
The 26-year-old flanker has endured a troubled year, losing his job and livelihood when Wasps went bust in October. The Reading-born loose-forward's class was underscored by European giants Toulouse snapping him up straight away.
Willis missed England’s Six Nations opener against Scotland predominantly because his club commitments stopped him being available for every preparatory training session.
Having now had more time in the Test set-up, Willis has forced England’s hand, leaving defence coach Kevin Sinfield suitably impressed.
“Professional sport throws curveballs, moments of adversity, huge success and that rollercoaster ride,” said Sinfield. “Jack has certainly felt that this year. He absolutely deserves his place; he’s been outstanding and I’ve enjoyed working with him.
“These are the challenges the modern-day player probably faces more than ever now. When there’s that much money involved things can change very quickly. He’s handled it very well, is a mature man who has had to grow up very quickly, and he’s been great to have around.”
England will be without a fit Ben Youngs for the first time in the Six Nations since 2014, after Borthwick omitted the 122-cap scrum-half from a trimmed squad to face Italy.
Sinfield insisted the 33-year-old will still be on course for World Cup duty in the autumn, despite one-cap Northampton half-back Alex Mitchell primed to feature against the Azzurri on Sunday.
When it was put to Sinfield that some might now consider the World Cup a stretch for Youngs, he replied: “The only person who matters is Ben, and understanding where he fits. He’s certainly part of our squad. It’s just for this weekend.”
