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England overcame the horror at the Stadio Olimpico to beat Italy 27-24 in their Six Nations opener and begin their post-World Cup rebuild.
It was only the third time in the history of the rivalry, which has spanned 31 Tests, that Italy had led at the interval, but Steve Borthwick’s side expertly overcame a 17-13 advantage.
In the absence of former captain Owen Farrell, England’s most effective weapon in attack was Tommy Freeman. Northampton’s wingers roamed the pitch looking for impactful moments, but it was Elliot Daly and Alex Mitchell who scored the tries.
As promised by new captain Jamie George, the title favorites will play more freely and take more kicks than in Borthwick’s first year in charge, at least until the focus switches to crushing Italy in the final half-hour. There were few.
But overall it was the Azzurri who played the more exciting rugby, showing ingenuity and ambition as they sought their first win against their rivals, with Tommaso Allan’s second try excellent.
New caps Ethan Rootes, Fraser Dingwall, Finn Smith, Chandler Cunningham-South and Immanuel Fay-Waboso bring freshness to England, who ended their first four years of Six Nations with defeat but were initially The outlook was not so optimistic. .
They lost replacement prop Elise Genge to a foot injury just before kick-off, but that was just the beginning of trouble as Italy’s starting team orchestrated a try for Alessandro Garbisi.
It rewarded their bright start when Lorenzo Cannone slipped out into the gap and Garbisi was able to scoop up the off-road.
England’s Elliot Daly scores his first try for the team
(PA wire)
Allan and George Ford exchanged penalties, making the score 10-3, but the difference gave England the jolt they needed, with Freeman slipping into space and sending a scoring pass to Daly.
A try was imminent, but it was quickly overshadowed by Italy’s brilliant counterattack. Italy’s accurate passing and skillful running off set-piece ball was perfectly executed, and Allan scored the goal.
Jamie George and Maro Itoje share a tete-a-tete after the match
(Reuters)
Two penalties by Ford kept England in hot pursuit of the Azzurri at half-time, but they needed to regroup quickly, especially in defence, to avoid an unwanted piece of history.
Relief came in the 45th minute when Mitchell jinked and spun over the whitewash to give the visitors the lead for the first time.
Italy’s play lacked the precision it had before, and as England closed down they were stuck deep in their own half, with Ford converting consecutive penalties to give Italy a 10-point lead.
England players look relieved after defeating Italy in Rome
(Getty)
It was a frustrating period for the hosts, with the Azzurri costing themselves numerous times due to handling errors, the lineout continuing to break down and Allan missing an important penalty.
Daly was sent to the sin bin as Italy looked for a try to pull them back into contention, but despite Monty Ioane scoring a touchdown in the last gasp, the upset slipped from his fingertips and no further progress was made. I couldn’t create magic.