England Must Be Aiming To Score 60 Points At Least

EDDIE Jones avoided the total reboot of the England side that I believed might happen against Italy, making just four changes. However, although England cannot assume that they will win by 60 points, that has to be their absolute minimum target. That total is a reasonable expectation given what we have seen so far of an Italian side that is simply not very competitive at the level the other sides in this Six Nations are capable of.

- Jeremy Guscott

Although Italy are usually strong at the beginning they usually fade badly, and this England side should have too much all-round strength for them – and should be capable of matching or exceeding Ireland’s nine try haul in Rome a fortnight ago.

A lot will depend on whether mixing it up at half-back pays off with Danny Care coming in at scrum-half for Ben Youngs. They both see things differently, and although they both follow the same tactical shape, their delivery and execution – whether it’s passing from the base or box kicking – will reflect that.

On the other hand Jones has kept George Ford at fly-half even though this game presented him with an ideal opportunity to experiment by putting Owen Farrell at 10, Ben Te’o at 12, and Elliot Daly at 13.

That is still a unit I would like to see in action, but by going with the same line-up as against Wales, with the exception of Te’o replacing Jonathan Joseph, it looks as if Jones’ first priority is to score the bonus point, as well as the hatful of tries needed to ensure that Ireland are not way ahead in terms of points difference.