If the opening game against Wales was an exercise in coping with naked hostility, this was a lesson in how to bury a side with well over half the match still to unravel.
Italy were out of this game after 30 minutes when Mark Cueto blasted over for England’s third try. It was as comprehensive a Six Nations display as England have offered in many a year.
Almost the best thing about England’s effort was that the final score didn’t quite do justice to their excellence. England took their chances well, but they also failed to finish off one or two others. That was the scale of their superiority.
From the opening seconds when Flood, Ashton and co went wide to the final minutes when Jonny Wilkinson - who else? - risked life and limb to prevent a second Italy try, England exuded effort and class.
It was a performance in which every player contributed. Alex Corbisiero, in his first game, and up against the mighty Martin Castrogiovanni, was magnificent, England’s midfield had the measure of their Italian opponents, and James Haskell had the best half of his international career to date.
But the man who held it all together was Flood. From callow youth to Mr Indispensable, Flood is now the guy who thinks and plays this team into strong positions. Half of England’s tries came from sharp, smart Flood passes to support runners arriving on his inside and outside shoulders. Ashton was the main beneficiary, but every time Flood had his hands on the ball and was challenging Italian defenders, Italy wobbled badly.
If there were any dodgy areas for England to rectify they came in the shape of poor discipline early on, the fact that they allowed Italy a try from a lineout which hadn’t functioned all game, and a stodgy patch just after half time when it took England too long to get themselves hot and sweaty once more.
But to do more than mention those in passing is to veer towards the nit-picky. As with England’s annihilation of Australia in the autumn, this was a display which will reverberate around the world. France are next up for England at Twickenham in two weeks. They won’t enjoy the DVD of this game.
England’s transformation since they went to Paris for the final game of last season’s Six Nations has been remarkable. A year ago England played Italy in Rome, stumbling to a victory which Steve Borthwick, then captain, raved about but which anyone with half a rugby brain realised was anything but.
England that day were one-paced, predictable and utterly tedious. Fast forward 12 months and the side has been transformed by the arrival of Ashton, Ben Youngs and Ben Foden. But it is more than an injection of new personnel which is behind England’s revival. The really startling development is that England now look like a team that knows how to play rugby.
The way they varied the point of attack, the way they mixed up the tempo, the way forwards and backs hunted and hurt Italy was very impressive.
That doesn’t happen by accident, and it is pertinent now to acknowledge the contributions of an England coaching team marshalled and led by Johnson.
A while ago forwards coach John Wells was under the cosh for failing to generate quick ball. No such problems now. The ball came back pretty much exactly as England’s half backs wanted it. Similarly with England’s attack. Against Scotland at Murrayfield last year they couldn’t buy a try. Now there was nothing wrong with their attacking edge. Brian Smith has unlocked England to the point where they are comfortable attacking from anywhere.
Of course, any final reckoning of England has to take account of the opponents and Italy were desperately disappointing. But this is the Italy which ran Ireland close a week ago, the Italy who many thought were close to becoming genuinely competitive. That is the context against which to judge.
It is vastly to England’s credit that they demolished Italy’s lineout. That was an alarming weak point which hasn’t surfaced before, but other Italian difficulties were more predictable. Yet again Italy had little or no idea how or where to attack. There was one brief spell in the first half when Italy were able to string several phases and passes together but they ended up further behind the gain line than when they started. If anything showed up Italy’s lack of ideas and penetration, that did. The little ball they got was a liability for them.
The sadness was that some great players were caught up in the mess. Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni are proud, fine rugby men, yet long before the end of the match they were both bickering with each other and the referee.
Castrogiovanni was sin-binned when he prevented England from taking a quick tap penalty and Parisse, normally the most focused of individuals, was more worried about perceived injustices than what was actually happening on the pitch. It was impossible not to feel for them. They deserved to be part of a better, more competitive team.
No such problems for England where the momentum is building nicely. Given the way they played, they would probably fancy France this Saturday rather than have a week’s rest as the Six Nations goes into limbo.
Paul Ackford Daily Telegraph
It was a performance in which every player contributed. Alex Corbisiero, in his first game, and up against the mighty Martin Castrogiovanni, was magnificent, England’s midfield had the measure of their Italian opponents, and James Haskell had the best half of his international career to date.
But the man who held it all together was Flood. From callow youth to Mr Indispensable, Flood is now the guy who thinks and plays this team into strong positions. Half of England’s tries came from sharp, smart Flood passes to support runners arriving on his inside and outside shoulders. Ashton was the main beneficiary, but every time Flood had his hands on the ball and was challenging Italian defenders, Italy wobbled badly.
If there were any dodgy areas for England to rectify they came in the shape of poor discipline early on, the fact that they allowed Italy a try from a lineout which hadn’t functioned all game, and a stodgy patch just after half time when it took England too long to get themselves hot and sweaty once more.
But to do more than mention those in passing is to veer towards the nit-picky. As with England’s annihilation of Australia in the autumn, this was a display which will reverberate around the world. France are next up for England at Twickenham in two weeks. They won’t enjoy the DVD of this game.
England’s transformation since they went to Paris for the final game of last season’s Six Nations has been remarkable. A year ago England played Italy in Rome, stumbling to a victory which Steve Borthwick, then captain, raved about but which anyone with half a rugby brain realised was anything but.
England that day were one-paced, predictable and utterly tedious. Fast forward 12 months and the side has been transformed by the arrival of Ashton, Ben Youngs and Ben Foden. But it is more than an injection of new personnel which is behind England’s revival. The really startling development is that England now look like a team that knows how to play rugby.
The way they varied the point of attack, the way they mixed up the tempo, the way forwards and backs hunted and hurt Italy was very impressive.
That doesn’t happen by accident, and it is pertinent now to acknowledge the contributions of an England coaching team marshalled and led by Johnson.
A while ago forwards coach John Wells was under the cosh for failing to generate quick ball. No such problems now. The ball came back pretty much exactly as England’s half backs wanted it. Similarly with England’s attack. Against Scotland at Murrayfield last year they couldn’t buy a try. Now there was nothing wrong with their attacking edge. Brian Smith has unlocked England to the point where they are comfortable attacking from anywhere.
Of course, any final reckoning of England has to take account of the opponents and Italy were desperately disappointing. But this is the Italy which ran Ireland close a week ago, the Italy who many thought were close to becoming genuinely competitive. That is the context against which to judge.
It is vastly to England’s credit that they demolished Italy’s lineout. That was an alarming weak point which hasn’t surfaced before, but other Italian difficulties were more predictable. Yet again Italy had little or no idea how or where to attack. There was one brief spell in the first half when Italy were able to string several phases and passes together but they ended up further behind the gain line than when they started. If anything showed up Italy’s lack of ideas and penetration, that did. The little ball they got was a liability for them.
The sadness was that some great players were caught up in the mess. Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni are proud, fine rugby men, yet long before the end of the match they were both bickering with each other and the referee.
Castrogiovanni was sin-binned when he prevented England from taking a quick tap penalty and Parisse, normally the most focused of individuals, was more worried about perceived injustices than what was actually happening on the pitch. It was impossible not to feel for them. They deserved to be part of a better, more competitive team.
No such problems for England where the momentum is building nicely. Given the way they played, they would probably fancy France this Saturday rather than have a week’s rest as the Six Nations goes into limbo.
Paul Ackford Daily Telegraph
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