England v Italy: Hosts aim to thrill to keep alive Six Nations hopes

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England v Italy: Hosts aim to thrill to keep alive Six Nations hopes

Victory in comfort and a bonus point in some style should be the aim.

Against an opponent they have beaten in all 31 of their previous meetings, England are strong enough to take the possibility of an upset out of the visitors’ hands.

An awkward bounce, a refereeing call, a moment of Azzurri genius – the hosts should have amassed enough points to insulate themselves against all such eventualities by the business end of the match.

The outcome certain, the bonus point secure; boring, but in a better way.

England have benched their most exciting player in pursuit of this goal.

Marcus Smith’s name registers the highest decibels when England’s team is announced before kick-off. If you ask any young fan who they are looking forward to seeing, invariably it is the Harlequins playmaker.

His nose for a gap, jagging step and instinctive unpredictability were England’s surest sources of tries throughout the autumn.

His faked drop-goal and blind-side dart produced the first against South Africa. His poked kick in behind Australia’s defence set up the opening score against the Wallabies. His interception and canter upfield put them ahead in the second half against New Zealand.

Each time though, they were pyrotechnics in losing efforts.

In search of more sustainable scoring, England have brought in some pre-heated cohesion, installing Fin Smith at fly-half and, after a year out the side, Fraser Dingwall at inside centre.

They are two of five Northampton players in the backline.

Had George Furbank been fit, Saints would surely be only one slot away from a full house.

“I watched the relationship between 9,10 and 12 in training this week and have an understanding with each other that doesn’t take any communication,” said head coach Steve Borthwick this week.

“They seem to know what each other is going to do.”

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#England #Italy #Hosts #aim #thrill #alive #Nations #hopes

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