By Paul Eddison at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Sportsbeat
England ran in seven tries against Italy in a 47-24 win to keep their Guinness Six Nations hopes alive going into Super Saturday.
The first half in the Twickenham sunshine was an open, but evenly-matched encounter, with England leading 21-17 at the break after scoring three tries to their visitors’ two.
But a three-try blitz early in the second half blew the game open, setting England up for a bonus-point success.
That pushes them up to second in the table with one week to go, meaning they head to Cardiff to take on Wales next week dreaming of silverware.
To do so, they need to win that game, preferably with a bonus point, before praying that France slip up at home to Scotland in the final game of the round.
Here is what we learned:
English attack rediscovers its bite
England have spent a lot of this campaign trying to work why the ambitious game they train for has only been visible in patches during matches.
It was evident from the off in this game, with an early turnover giving them a chance to counter-attack from their own 22.
Elliot Daly, promoted to the starting line-up for this one, saw that there was a chance to run and pinned back his ears to take England up towards halfway.
Quick ball on the left led to a Tom Willis try on the right and England were up and running.
They enjoyed a lot of success on the right side of the pitch with Tommy Freeman at the heart of it, including scoring the second try.
Add in two tries for Ollie Sleightholme and a bonus-point score for Marcus Smith, and the three-quarters certainly enjoyed themselves as Italy were overwhelmed at times by England’s attack.
In the hostile atmosphere of the Principality Stadium, it might not always be as easy next week, but England proved to themselves and others that when they want to, they can play the fast-paced game they want.
Versatility is the name of the game
Daly started this game at full-back, but Ollie Lawrence’s early injury meant that he moved to outside centre after just eight minutes.
He impressed in both positions, and in an era where teams are doing everything they can to beef up their benches with forwards, a player who can cover wing, centre and full-back is a godsend.
Over a much shorter period, Ben Earl also played his part, moving into the centres alongside Daly after Fraser Dingwall was forced off with a blood injury.
It is an experiment that is not without precedent for England, and while Earl’s late try could just as easily have come from the back row, the more time he gets in the centres, the more useful he can be if called into service.
Major Lions ramifications
Injuries are a fact of life in rugby, but when they come in Lions years, the consequences can be devastating.
Even with huge competition in the midfield, Ollie Lawrence’s performances in this campaign had him right in the mix for selection for Australia this summer.
His Achilles injury after just eight minutes may put paid to those ambitions, as well as his hopes of helping Bath to a first Premiership title of the 21st century.
It is a cruel blow for Lawrence, but others did their cause plenty of good. Ollie Chessum’s ability to cover second row and blindside flank makes him an ideal Lions tourist, and he showed what he can do both in the lineout but also with ball in hand in an all-action display. It was the sort of display that could have him right in the mix for a spot in the Test 23, let alone just on the plane.
Last but not least, the versatility mentioned above could help Earl and Daly’s cause, the latter still a long shot to make his third tour but starting to look a more credible candidate.
And a word too for Marcus Smith, who played 72 minutes at full-back and made some vital contributions. When the game was close, his one-on-one tackle on Matt Gallagher five metres out ensured that Italy did not take the lead after the break, and he followed that with a scintillating break and finish for the bonus-point try that seemed to swing the game England’s way for good.
Italy need to survive down periods
In Italy’s three defeats in this year’s Championship, they have been undone by their inability to stem the tide when the opposition get their tails up.
On the opening weekend, Scotland scored two tries in five minutes on two separate occasions, while France managed three in a 10-minute spell twice in the 70-point shellacking in round three.
It was another three-try blitz in this one that ended the game as a contest, going from a one-score game to out of sight between half-time and the hour-mark.
Gonzalo Quesada admitted as much and will have been particularly frustrated, because Italy were right in the game outside that spell.
While they did manage some sturdy defence for a couple of England incursions in the 22, there were other times when their inability to scramble back was costly.
Ireland might not have been at their slickest during this campaign, but they will still fancy their chances of punishing Italy if their defence is as fragile as it was against England.
It is particularly frustrating given that Italy caused England problems with ball in hand, particularly with Ange Capuozzo thriving at full-back. But a functioning attack will not be enough if they cannot tighten up without the ball.
Super Saturday could be one for the ages
A decade ago, the greatest Super Saturday of all time played out as the 2015 Championship went down to the final minute of the final game.
The introduction of bonus points means that it is trickier to have quite as much on the line on the final day but this weekend has the potential.
Ireland will kick off proceedings in Rome, sitting in third place in the table, a point behind England and two behind France.
It is all still to play for! 4 teams will battle it out for the Guinness Men's Six Nations title! ???? You don't want to miss it...Super Saturday here we come!#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/Thvy2pZJuM
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2025
They will be chasing a bonus-point win to put the pressure on the two teams still to play – just as Wales did 10 years ago.
Then it will be England in Cardiff, knowing that a bonus-point win will secure a first top-two finish since they won the title in 2020.
If they do that, then France will have no choice but to beat Scotland, if they want a second title of the Fabien Galthié era.
They will go in as favourites after their performance against Ireland, but their one Six Nations defeat at the Stade de France under Galthié came against Scotland.
All in all, it should be a brilliant way to close out an entertaining competition. If they come anywhere close to 2015, we will have enjoyed a truly Super Saturday.
