The Six Nations is back, but for the first time in years England will not open the season against Scotland. Instead, manager Steve Borthwick’s men are traveling to Rome to face an Italian side aiming to prove their worth and avoid further wooden spoons.
Italy have a new manager, a young squad and plenty of attacking talent to disrupt England’s flow, but as history tells us, the visiting team should still be heavily favored.
Italy have played 30 Test matches against England, 24 of them in the Six Nations, losing in all of them. To make matters worse, England’s average margin of victory against the Azzurri in February and March was 28 points.
We all know that the expectations placed on both sides are fundamentally different. England are expected to compete for the title every time they play, while Italy are expected to avoid the wooden spoon, which they have won more than any other nation.
To add insult to injury, the last time Italy played England in the Six Nations, they failed to score a single point and lost 33-0. Avoiding a repeat of that performance will be crucial for new head coach Gonzalo Quesada, who takes over as Italy’s manager for the first time on Saturday.
team news
Marcus Smith’s calf injury forces Steve Borthwick to rethink his halfback axis, with George Ford back in the spotlight to play alongside Alex Mitchell who has recovered from a leg infection is what happened.
Unsurprisingly, Jamie George will take over the captaincy duties and will oversee a squad studded with familiar faces, including the return of Sam Underhill. Newcomer Ethan Roots on the block will make his debut in the back row, while Fraser Dingwall will receive the same honor when he runs out wearing number 12.
The uncapped trio of Chandler Cunningham-South, Finn Smith and Immanuel Fay-Waboso are all on the bench, and three more could make their debuts.
To compete against the British nine-ten tandem class, Quesada made it a family affair, selecting both Paolo Garbisi and his younger brother Alessandro Garbisi as starters. The two have played together internationally before and should complement the attacking threat of Ange Capozzo and Tommaso Menoncello.
However, while the wingers have great flair, Italy’s day will be determined by the performances of their strong and physical back-row. Team captain Michele Lamaro will lead the charge along with big ball carrier Sebastian Negri and all-round weapon Lorenzo Cannone. Both teams are as close to full strength as possible, making Roma’s run-in all the more exciting.
Direct confrontation is the key
Test match rugby is built around kicking, so full-back reliability under high balls is more important than ever. Freddie Steward summed up that security is second to none and will be a key asset for England on Saturday.
The real challenge for Leicester Tigers’ young players will not be catching in the backfield, but rather their ability to run and break through tackles from deep, structured counter-attacks.
That Steward has more than a reliable hand in his game, with players like George Furbank, Tommy Freeman and even Marcus Smith poised to take his place at the age of 15. will need to be shown.
Interestingly, his opposite number will also have a lot to prove heading into the weekend. Tommaso Allan is not a natural full-back, and certainly the Italian playmaker prefers to play at fly-half, but he dropped back to create space for Paolo Garbisi.
There is no doubt that Alan is a good kicker. The question is whether he can improve his positioning and general decision-making when under pressure in unfamiliar positions.
The need to shine is paramount to both Alan and Steward, making for a fascinating head-to-head confrontation.
prediction
Without Smith, England will be without arguably their most creative player, which will not be an easy situation to overcome. However, there is still plenty of talent in the backline and the team as a whole to overcome those shortcomings and start the campaign with a win.
Given that Italy have never beaten England in a Test match, it’s hard to imagine the tide changing, but that doesn’t mean the games won’t be close. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Italy pushed England to the limit, as they did against France in the opening game of last season’s tournament. England by 3 p.m.