England player ratings v Italy: Maro Itoje takes game to ‘new heights’ while Jamie George drops ‘performance fitting of the occasion’
England captain Maro Itoje and vice-captain Jamie George in action against Italy in the Six Nations
Following England’s 47-24 win over Italy in round four of the Six Nations, here is how we scored Steve Borthwick’s men at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.?
England player ratings v Italy
15 Elliot Daly:?His inclusion in the starting XV was the main talking point in the build-up, but he silenced the critics. Solid under the high ball when deployed at 15, and later played a massive part in his side’s attacking exploits at centre.?8
14 Tommy Freeman:?Just carried on from where he left off in his earlier outings this Championship. Bagged himself another try – his fourth of the Six Nations – and overall just contributed heavily to the attacking efforts. Also popped up at 13 on a few occasions after Ollie Lawrence went off, which might be a sign to the future. 8
13 Ollie Lawrence:?Was going very well but picked up a nasty-looking injury and was later seen in a boot. Hopefully, it isn’t as bad as first feared.?N/A
12 Fraser Dingwall:?Should be pretty content with his afternoon’s work, when all is said and done. It’s never easy coming into a settled side mid-Championship, but he actually made the attack look a lot slicker and provided consistent attacking shape too. A big plus was also how he stepped into first receiver when needed, which in turn allowed Fin or Marcus Smith to play slightly deeper. A couple of defensive issues, but on the whole, a very decent outing. 7
11 Ollie Sleightholme: A much-improved display from the Northampton Saints winger, who looked back to the level he hit in the autumn. He was a consistent threat out wide, posing the Italian defence plenty of questions both ball-in-hand and in the air, and grabbed a nice try for his efforts. 8
10 Fin Smith:?Has really found his footing at Test level now, and proved to be the ultimate quarterback today. Showed serious Test match maturity to guide his team around the park, but also looked to play an expansive attack at the right moments. The telepathic connection with Alex Mitchell and Dingwall also brought the best out of him. 8
9 Alex Mitchell:?This is exactly the performance England fans wanted to see from Mitchell, who was freed of his shackles today. He was incredibly zippy around the ruck, which in turn injected some serious pace into their attack, but he also provided his fellow playmakers with consistent clean ball. When at this level, he’s something else.?8
Back-row
8 Tom Willis:?Just incredibly hungry to carry the ball and got England marching as a result. I’ve said it multiple times this Championship, but he has really given England some extra steel in the tight, and that again came to the fore today. Started the party off with a score early doors too, which set the tone for the afternoon.?7
7 Ben Earl: Seems to be a refreshed player with Willis now alongside him, and he again had those bright flashes he is capable of. Picked up a knock in the second-half but returned to put the cherry on top of the win with a fine score.?7
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6 Tom Curry:?Like the rest of his back-row, Tom Curry worked incredibly hard for his team on both sides of the ball and bagged a nice try to boot. Came off with an injury though early into the second-half.?7
Tight five
5 Ollie Chessum:?Typical Ollie Chessum performance. Worked his socks off on both sides of the ball and again shored up the lineout. Done his Lions chances no harm at all. 8
4 Maro Itoje:?His game hit new heights today, if that was even possible. Simply superb in every department around the park, solid as ever in the lineout and again really took a hold of his side. Reeks of Lions starter, if not captain.?9
3 Will Stuart:?There might not have been very many scrums during his shift, but he still made a decent impact on the game. Deserves a high score for his OUTRAGEOUS step in the build-up to Marcus Smith’s try, but also came up with a few deft touches to link up the attack.?7
2 Jamie George:?Just superb on his 100th Test appearance, giving a performance fitting of the occasion. Yet again went 100% from the lineout, which in turn gave England a platform to build from, and also looked to make his mark around the park. A try would have been nice, but couldn’t really have gone any better for him.?8
1 Ellis Genge:?Again, didn’t get to do much scrummaging but on the whole was fine. Carried hard when given the chance and got about in defence.?6
Replacements:?England’s bench has been a big talking point this Six Nations, coming in clutch against both France and Scotland, and they were fairly solid again today.?Marcus Smith, who played roughly 75 minutes, deserves a big tip of the hat for his efforts and by himself warrants an?8.?Elsewhere, Ben Curry, Ted Hill and Chandler Cunningham South brought heaps of physicality to the table upon their entry just as Italy looked to try and gain a foothold back in the game.
Jack van Poortvliet didn’t do much wrong but came on when the game got scrappy and the replacement front-row of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes were fine if unspectacular.
On the whole, though, they made a decent impact on the game and Steve Borthwick will probably be happy with his replacements. 6