England will be looking for a much-improved display against Italy when they clash at Twickenham in the second round of the Six Nations on Sunday.
England v Italy
12 February
15:00
Twickenham
England 1/16 | Draw 40/1 | Italy 13/2
Handicap
England (-19.5) 9/10 | Italy (+19.5) 4/5
England will be looking for a much-improved display against Italy when they clash at Twickenham in the second round of the Six Nations on Sunday.
Steve Borthwick’s tenure as Roses head coach got off to an anticlimactic start last week as they were beaten 23-29 by Scotland in London; missing out on the Calcutta Cup for the third year in succession. Although there were some encouraging signs, such as their territorial dominance and work on the ground, the side remains well short of challenging the likes of Ireland and France for championship spoils.
Borthwick may have only been in the hot seat since mid-December, but it’s clear the former England skipper has his work cut out for him; even going as far as to say in the aftermath of the loss that the team “weren’t good at anything” when he took over at the helm.
And his argument certainly holds water. The number of unforced errors and missed tackles (20 from 108 attempts) that came from men in white last week is a real cause for concern.
Meanwhile, there are still many who view the continued 10-12 axis of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell as a misguided selection.
Although it’s hard to see the Azzurri stopping the hosts from bagging the first win of the Borthwick era on Sunday, Kieran Crowley’s charges showed again against France that they do have the wherewithal to produce some inspirational performances.
The Italians were seemingly down and out inside the opening half hour last week, trailing the defending champions 6-19 and looking likely to cop another stereotypical blowout defeat but for a heroic fightback that saw them lead 24-22 at a stage. They eventually succumbed 24-29 in a hugely encouraging afternoon in Rome.
While it remains to be seen whether Italy will continue their upward trajectory under ’87 World Cup winner Cowley in the long term, expect a resurgent England to come overwhelm them at Twickenham.
Verdict: Italy (+19.5) 4/5
Although the hosts should claim a comfortable victory, they won’t clear what is a pretty hefty handicap.
