England ensured that their 2025 Six Nations hopes will stay alive until the final day as they ran out convincing winners over Italy.
Both sides traded tries in a thrilling first half, with Tom Willis, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme scoring for England to cancel out the efforts of Italy’s Ange Capuozzo and Ross Vincent to give the hosts a 21-17 lead at the break.
England got a bit loose after the restart and endured an early second-half scare, with Italy having a huge chance to edge in front at Twickenham.
However, they failed to take it and were ruthlessly punished by Steve Borthwick’s side as Marcus Smith, Tom Curry and Sleightholme again all touched down in the space of nine minutes.
With the bonus point secured, flanker Ben Earl added to the tally late on to take the game even further out of sight.
The win launches England to second in the table with a visit to Wales beckoning next Saturday – a point off France going into the final weekend.
England eased past Italy to win keep their Six Nations title bid alive going into their final game
Sunday afternoon’s result was England’s 26th consecutive Six Nations victory over Italy
They face Wales next Saturday and must win to stand a chance at beating France to the title
Mail Sport’s NIK SIMON and ALEX BYWATER were at Twickenham to rate the players.
England – Nik Simon
Elliot Daly: Looked alert in his first start at full-back since 2021 but switched to centres after just eight minutes. Added composure to the attack, identifying space well. 7
Tommy Freeman: Cohesion with his club team-mates in the backline means he always seems to be in the right place. Four tries in four appearances has put him into Lions contention. 7
Ollie Lawrence: Left the pitch with his head in his hands in the eighth minute, collapsing in a heap with a suspected Achilles injury. Marcus Smith replaced him in a re-jigged backline. N/A
Fraser Dingwall: Some dominant shots in defence but the midfield lacks attacking punch without Lawrence, leaving Steve Borthwick with a selection dilemma ahead of the final round in Wales. 6
Ollie Sleightholme: Often looks vulnerable in defence on the edge of the pitch but makes up for it with his raw speed. Always attacks with intent, scoring a double on the wing. 7
Fin Smith: Almost immaculate goal-kicking with six conversions from seven. His kicking from hand bailed England out of trouble in the first-half before the attack clicked in the second. 7
Alex Mitchell: Offered more variety in attack after his box-kick fest against Scotland. Added tempo with tap-and-goes and went fishing for support runners from the rucks. 6
England secured a 47-24 win – their biggest margin of victory at this year’s tournament
Fin Smith was immaculate when it came to goal-kicking, converting six from six
Ellis Genge: Warned for protesting with referee in the first half after being penalised for sealing off. Added a couple of trademark carries in attack. 6
Jamie George: Showed his silky hands for a try assist before receiving a standing ovation as he departed on his century. Missed a tackle on Capuozzo when Italy struck. 6
Will Stuart: Showed footwork like a dancing bear in the build-up to Marcus Smith’s try. Penalised at the scrum in the first-half to leave a blot on the set-piece record. 7
Maro Itoje: Held-up over the try line after hastily attempting to dive over from the back of a ruck. Made some solid hits in defence as Italy were repelled in the second half. 7
Ollie Chessum: A man-of-the-match performance with powerful carries through the guts and out wide. Added an extra dimension to his solid set-piece game. 7
Tom Curry: Hobbled his way through the second half but fought through the pain barrier to score a try. Made life difficult at the ruck before his twin brother took over. 7
Ben Earl: Took over as England’s primary ball carrier when Lawrence limped off early on. Hobbled off in the second half before somehow returning for a try-scoring cameo in the centres. 6
Tom Willis: Has the ball-carrying power to bully teams like Italy, as he showed with his first try within four minutes. Chipped in with a pair of turnovers. 7
Ollie Sleightholme made up for defensive vulnerability with lightning speed as he scored twice
Marcus Smith came off the bench eight minutes into the game and starred for England
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie (for George 54), Fin Baxter (for Genge 60), 18 Joe Heyes (for Stuart 60), Ted Hill (for Curry 56), Chandler Cunningham-South (for Earl 51), Ben Curry (for Willis 45), Jack Van Poortvliet (for Mitchell 64), Marcus Smith (for Lawrence 8)
Italy – Alex Bywater
Capuozzo 7 (Allan 70, 5); Ioane 5.5, Brex 8, Menoncello 7.5, Gallagher 5.5 (Capuozzo 77, 7); Garbisi 5.5, Varney 5 (Page-Relo 56, 6); Fischetti 6.5 (Spagnolo 60, 5), Nicotera 5 (Lucchesi 51, 5.5), Riccione 5 (Ferrari 48, 6), N Cannone 6.5 (Favretto 69, 5), Ruzza 6.5, Negri 6.5, Lamaro (capt) 4 (Zuliani 51, 6.5), Vintcent 7 (L Cannone 51, 6)
