However, despite Ben Youngs scoring two tries in producing a man of the match performance to crown his 100th international in an England shirt, there was a rustiness about this display against an inexperienced Italian side that cannot be entirely excused by the eight-month lockdown gap in this longest of Six Nations tournaments.
England have set the bar on the highest rung, with head coach Jones starting the season by talking about their ambition of “being the greatest team the world has ever seen”.
They were far from that lofty peak at the empty Stadio Olimpico, and the only smile on the faces of many of their fans at the interval would have been one of weary resignation.
Up to that point they had stuttered their way to a 10-5 lead, and with the amount of ball that they had kicked away the vision of the game articulated by the England attack coach Simon Amor in the buildup “for our team as a whole to be more instinctive and play very, very fast” seemed like a pipe-dream.
Thankfully, they put their forgettable opening half behind them, to produce a steady drum-roll of tries throughout the second-half, with Youngs adding to his try before the break by scoring his second one minute after the restart, and Jamie George, Tom Curry, and Henry Slade following his lead.
The Youngs kick-start came when his dummy from the base of a ruck was bought by the Italian sentry, Danilo Fischetti, and his sniping run saw him elude Braam Steyn and Matteo Minozzi to touch down, and with Owen Farrell converting for a 17-5 lead England had breathing space for the first time.
Denne historien er fra November 01, 2020-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 01, 2020-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
England can find a little bit of cheer
SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of us hoping and expecting Steve Borthwick’s team to win today after three weeks of bitter disappointment.
Stop messing with Marcus - Campese
DAVID Campese believes England are going backwards under Steve Borthwick, who is ‘messing around’ with talisman Marcus Smith.
Being a Lion was the highlight of my career
I PLAYED 19 games and scored 219 points for the Lions, on the tours to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, but I never played in a Test and that was fair enough.
Cook's crew not fazed as they eye tilt at top half
THERE appear to be few signs of second season syndrome at Westcombe Park as captain Nick Cook reveals the group aren’t even contemplating the threat of relegation and are instead targeting a top-half finish.
Forwards pack a punch for the Reds
OLD Redcliffians produced a proud defensive effort to take a bonus-point win.
Tom 'Ailes' the achievements of inspirational skipper Riley
SEDGLEY Park No. 8 Tom Ailes says his team relish the competitive nature of National One and is confident the Tigers can rectify their rocky start to the season in weeks to come.
Strachan confident Ampthill will be firing again soon
FRASER Strachan is determined to put Ampthill’s leaky defensive showings behind them and gain some much needed confidence in the run up to Christmas.
It's a whole new ball game for Rigg
WILL Rigg’s ambition was to become a professional cricketer but it is the oval ball rather than The Oval that is his driver now.
Scarratt leads the way for Lightning
LOUGHBOROUGH won a wet and windy East Midlands Derby after having the bonus point in the bag by half-time.
Becconsall: We need to release pressure
WILL Becconsall says Exeter are not spooked by the threat of relegation as they look to turn around their Premiership campaign after starting with six straight defeats.
