by As England know from their deflationary failure to win four in a row between 2020 and 2023, the opening game of the Six Nations campaign is relentless. Often, one has to go beyond the score line to appreciate exciting aspects of the performance. That process must feel a lot better after a win, though.
Steve Borthwick used the term “clunky” to describe the display in Rome, which was a fair representation. A three-point win over Italy won’t scare anyone. And yet, there was plenty to encourage England ahead of Wales’ welcome to Twickenham. Here are five flickers of encouragement from Saturday.
0.49 Exploring alternatives to kicking
England started impeccably. Maro Itoje secured Paolo Garbisi’s restart and Italy pulled off a growing rout. George Ford managed to touch down, setting up a lineout 10 meters beyond halfway, and the visitors aimed to settle Ethan Roots through a goal with their first throw. From there, it got harder. Fraser Dingwall went to the gain line and passed to Ben Earl, who was suddenly stopped.
Now, in the World Cup, no matter who was playing in the half, England would surely have gone to the skies. Remember the details? Steve Borthwick’s side hit once every two wickets across the tournament, and more often in games against Argentina and South Africa. On Saturday, they tried their best to find width through the hands. In this first possession, England probed down the right, through Ford, Henry Slade and Freddie Steward, and then came back towards the left:
On the fifth stage, Federico Ruzza clipped Ollie Chessum and Lorenzo Cannone got up to take a penalty. Look how isolated Chessum becomes, and Itoje has to deal with two failures in a row:
This was a damp squib in the end, but it was more ambitious in the middle third of the field, at least.
All told, England kicked 31 times on Saturday. However, they threw 98 runs with the ball, winning every one of those following Cannone’s first-minute header. That’s a testament to the accuracy of the contact area, Andrew Strawbridge’s domain. Their rate of just over three tackles per kick suggests a different mindset and, according to Stats Perform, England also had the most defenders (25) of any team in round one of the Six Nations .
16.41 Undeniable urgency in the transition
The attacking revolution that has propelled Saracens to the 2023 Premiership title has been built on scavenging opportunities in their own half, from turnovers and when rivals expect them to go away. With Italy leading 10-3, the hosts introduced right wing Lorenzo Pani at first receiver and tried to push Cannone forward.
The second went awry and Elliot Daly swung up from the backfield before curling a pass towards the Warden:
England crossed halfway and Earl fed Itoje with a nice inside pass. Daly then swept in the other direction, with Roots lurking on the right flank, taking on the wide role he regularly takes for Exeter Chiefs:
Daly collects a goal from Ford and lobs Pani to drop Roots:
To start this transition again, Daly was determined and now it must be contagious. Everyone needs to get on the same wavelength, as England aim for their defence, line-out and competitive kicking game to create chances in transition.
18.38 A roving wing creates the overload from the fourth set piece
Under World Rugby regulations, a dead ball area is allowed to be up to 22m deep. The Stadio Olimpico pitch seemed close to that maximum and England took advantage. By kicking into that zone, they encouraged Italy to score and drop goals, which is now a set piece strong enough for good teams to coordinate complex, practiced attacks. Consider how Ireland goalkeeper Hugo Keenan sliced through France a year ago:
At the end of the first quarter, Steward’s start gave England one such platform. Garbisi’s departure sent a long…
…and was caught by Ford, who sent Roots. Next to Ford at that stage was Tommy Freeman:
From his default position on the right wing, Freeman swings into a third tier of attack:
Ford pulls the ball back to Slade, who plays a similar pass behind Earl to Steward. Freeman then cuts a rash elbow off his back shoulder with an explosion:
Daly was on hand to unload:
Most importantly, Freeman reads that Juan Ignacio Brex has been set by Steward, with reductions accordingly:
Clearly persuaded to rotate their own flank towards the channels 15 meters opposite, the three English wings were prominent. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso wasted no time coming off his wing as part of a line play:
Borthwick described the moment as very satisfying, with Feyi-Waboso pumping his legs in touch:
Even when a roaming wing doesn’t catch a pass, they can make an impact because defenses can’t ignore them. Ireland has set the standard here. Watch James Lowe and Jack Crowley sail through Tadhg Beirne on Friday night in Marseille:
A back angle shows how Lowe, positioned behind Beirne, creates uncertainty in the minds of Jonathan Danty and Jamison Gibson-Park feeding Crowley:
Danty isn’t sure if he should fend off Beirne’s fair threat or push further to pressure Lowe. As it happens, he gets stuck and Beirne gets over him:
Keep roaming and England’s wings will reward their team.
43.24 Mitchell opts for extended defence
The pursuit of the width led to neat play from Dingwall, who threw a couple of passes over pressure on the Italian defenders, and Daly. The last one was lucky before Alex Mitchell’s try. Freeman’s fast line results in a strong Warden:
But, two steps later, Daly’s pass to Slade looked to be sent beyond the sideline:
Then again, luck seems to favor the bold. It feels like more passes are fired forward than returned.
What England’s approach created was scope for Mitchell to mix things up with snipes. He dribbled and offloaded to Itoje in the first half and then scored after going past Tommaso Menoncello and rebounding from Tommaso Allan’s set-piece. Paul Williams, the referee, had a dispassionate attitude and decided that Mitchell was not there:
What showed England’s attempt at the fast ball, rather than respectable rack-pace statistics, was that various forwards, including Joe Marler and Sam Underhill, managed to run the ball from breakdown when Mitchell was caught.
77.11 Cunningham-South opens his progression
“Raw” is a recurring description of Chandler Cunningham-South from coaches who have worked with him. “Rare” is just as applicable. The 20-year-old is listed at 120kg (18st 13lb). He can convert, too, as highlighted by his cover tackle on Federico Mori and then a late charge down the touchline after Danny Care’s box kick.
Cunningham-South is chasing his clubmate’s strike…
…and picks up the ball when Menoncello spills it before stretching his legs. Monty Ioane manages to push him out. However, we have a glimpse of the dynamism that convinced Borthwick to promote Cunningham-South to the bench above Tom Pearson and Ben Curry, getting the Test off to a flying start:
How big Cunningham-South will be in the rest of the Championship is a very interesting question, as England don’t have many athletes like the Harlequins back-row.
Match images from ITV Sport
