Job done for England. A bonus-point victory over Italy was absolutely required and that was delivered. More importantly, after a turgid win over Scotland, Twickenham wanted to see entertainment.
And the English crowd got that. A big well done to Steve Borthwick and his players because this was more like it from England. It was a game where performance and result came together.
In the wins over France and Scotland, England came out on top. And, ultimately, that’s what international rugby is all about. But in an ideal world, you want to play well and win which is what England did on Sunday.
So, on the whole, I was very pleased with what I saw.
Going into ‘Super Saturday’ and the final weekend of the Six Nations, England have a chance of the title. Yes, it’s a slim chance. All signs point to France winning the crown.
But the fact England are in contention is a sign of their progress in this year’s Championship.
England defeated Italy 47-24 on Sunday in their penultimate game of the 2025 Six Nations
Ben Earl (centre) scored one of England’s seven tries in an entertaining win at Twickenham
There was one thing that frustrated me about the English performance. Were the team really chasing down the tries required to stay in the hunt for the Six Nations crown?
Of course, it’s going to be a long shot to catch France who, for me, were so impressive in their hammering of Ireland in Dublin. But to do that, England needed to score 60 or more points. They were capable of that against Italy. And they can do it in Cardiff.
I’d have liked to have seen a bit more attacking intent. That’s what great teams do. They set themselves a try target and are ruthless. That said, on the whole, there are many reasons for cheer.
Tom Curry and Ollie Chessum were outstanding in the pack. The build-up to the game had been dominated by Borthwick’s decision to drop Marcus Smith.
But, it’s funny how things work out because he was on to the field almost instantly as a replacement for Ollie Lawrence. I really hope Lawrence’s injury isn’t too bad.
Unfortunately, it looked like it could be a bad one. My wish is it doesn’t ruin the rest of his season with Bath and the prospect of him touring with the Lions.
I do fear the worst, however.
When Smith came on, I thought England looked more attacking and Elliot Daly went well after switching to centre. Smith was exposed a bit defensively and under the high ball. He should have done better for Ross Vintcent’s try. But we already knew he is a makeshift full back who is good with the ball although not an expert in that position defensively.
England’s players gathered in a huddle on the field following Sunday’s victory in London
Ben Curry, Chandler Cunningham-South and Ted Hill (left to right) posed for a celebratory photo in the dressing room at Twickenham
The Italy game only served to reinforce that. However, Smith did very well for his try. England won the game through a very strong third quarter. Between half-time and the hour mark, they scored three unanswered tries for 21 points.
Italy, for all their endeavour and attacking threat, were never going to come back. It was a strange game to analyse in many ways, certainly from an Italian perspective.
The Azzurri have been the traditional whipping boys of the Championship. There is no doubt they are that no longer. On Sunday, they were incredibly competitive and scored some fine tries. But in the end they still shipped seven scores and just shy of 50 points.
Italy, as I said, are competitive. But not for long enough and I think that’s down to confidence. They have to believe they can stay in the fight for the full 80.
One thing that really annoyed me about Italy was the decision to take off Ange Capuozzo with 10 minutes to go. He was one of the best players on the pitch.
What was the coach thinking? That sort of thing drives me mad. Italy are a good side. And centres Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello would both walk into the England XV. There is hope for them to build on.
I’ve been happy with England’s progression in this competition and this performance was another step forward. In all likelihood, they aren’t going to win the Six Nations. I’m expecting France to beat Scotland to win the title and even if they don’t, Ireland will down Italy in Rome.
What England have to do is be even more ruthless against Wales. They have to put the hammer down. It won’t be easy. And Lawrence will be absent. But if England can end their Six Nations with four wins from five matches, that would undoubtedly show the team are going the right way.
