Double for Ben Youngs as England labour to bonus-point win over Italy - but will it be enough?
England set Ireland the challenge of claiming a bonus-point victory in Paris to win the Guinness Six Nations title after they dismantled Italy 34-5 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Ben Youngs celebrated his 100th cap by crossing twice, a brilliant second try coming moments after the interval when Eddie Jones' men looked for a response to a ragged and bad-tempered first half.
Suffering from the cancellation of the Barbarians fixture that was to be their warm-up, they looked every bit a team that had been inactive for the last seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy fought hard but when Jamie George touched down on his 50th cap, any remote hopes of staging an upset faded and England registered the crucial bonus point when Tom Curry surged over from close range.
Henry Slade added the fifth and final try to set up an anxious wait, knowing the destiny of the title is in Irish hands and hoping the challenge of toppling France while scoring four tries is beyond Andy Farrell's side.
England have won all 26 previous meetings with Italy, scoring an average of over 40 points each time, and a year to the day after losing the 2019 World Cup final to South Africa they inflicted a 33rd successive Championship defeat on the Azzurri.
All week they talked about the need to show patience in shaking off the rustiness of having not played since mid-March, but it took only four minutes to breach the home defence.
Mako Vunipola was the engineer, the Saracens prop standing at first receiver and sending Owen Farrell into a gap before Youngs appeared on his shoulder to finish the move.
Italy were in full retreat in every department and it took furious defence to keep out the white shirts, so it was a conservative decision when Farrell opted for three points when offered a penalty in front of the posts.
England pressed again but a fumble by Kyle Sinckler was pounced upon by centre Carlo Canna, who gathered and carried before a rampaging Jake Polledri arrived on an excellent line to storm over the whitewash.
Another setback came in the 23rd minute when Jonny Hill's debut soured upon catching Edoardo Padovani on the head with an arm, forcing the Italian wing to undergo an HIA and earning the Chiefs double-winner a yellow card.
Jones slammed down his radio device in anger at referee Pascal Gauzere's decision and what followed would not have pleased the Australian head coach either.
Italy began to attack with tempo and made inroads, winning successive penalties which they cleverly used to build pressure.
A driving line-out took them over the whitewash but they were held up with Hill under the ball and they crumbled at the ensuing five-metre scrum, costing them a glorious chance.
Polledri entered the sin-bin for going in at the side but just as England began to hammer away from close range, they conceded a penalty to enable Italy to escape and even momentarily threaten at the other end.
An unimpressive 10-5 interval lead was extended 56 seconds into the second half when Hill charged down a box kick and Maro Itoje secured the loose ball.
Spotting a gap at the ruck, Youngs dummied and slid through the hole before beating full-back Matteo Minozzi.
With half an hour to go, daylight opened up as George finished a driving maul but Italy refused to fold as they continued to scrap.
Finally they began to buckle, Curry spotting an unguarded blindside to scamper over before Ben Earl and Slade took advantage of an absent Azzurri defence for the latter to complete the rout.
Match details
England: G Furbank; A Watson (rep O Thorley 53), J Joseph (rep O Lawrence 67), H Slade, J May; O Farrell (c), B Youngs (rep D Robson 72); M Vunipola (rep E Genge 58), J George (rep T Dunn 79), K Sinckler (rep W Stuart 62), M Itoje, J Hill (rep C Ewels 67), T Curry, S Underhill (rep B Earl 53), B Vunipola
Italy: M Minozzi (rep G Palazzani 46); E Padovani (rep F Mori 21), L Morisi, C Canna, M Bellini; P Garbisi, M Violi; D Fischetti (rep S Ferrari 60), L Bigi (c, rep G Lucchesi 60), G Zilocchi (rep P Ceccarelli 60), M Lazzaroni (rep J Meyer 77), N Cannone (rep D Sisi 60), S Negri (rep M Mbanda 72), B Steyn, J Polledri
Referee: P Gauzere (Fra)
06:57 PMCenturion Ben Youngs
"I didn't want to build it up too much during the week. "I will try an absorb the achievement with the boys, I'm very proud. The most important thing for me was to play a part in this team. It's a nice milestone, but I have the desire to kick on."We always felt it would be a grinding down process and maybe the yellow-carded, we couldn't shake it off, but we knew we would get there in the end and that was the most important thing."
Centurion Ben Youngs
"I didn't want to build it up too much during the week. "I will try an absorb the achievement with the boys, I'm very proud. The most important thing for me was to play a part in this team. It's a nice milestone, but I have the desire to kick on."We always felt it would be a grinding down process and maybe the yellow-carded, we couldn't shake it off, but we knew we would get there in the end and that was the most important thing."
06:52 PM"We've done our job"
"We've done our job"
Owen Farrell says England faced a challenge at half-time after not managing to get their hands on the ball for "chunks" of the first period.
06:45 PMFull-time | Italy 5 England 34
Full-time | Italy 5 England 34
That sums it up, really. England pressurise Italy inside the hosts' 22 and win a breakdown penalty... that is reversed when Pascal Gauzere identifies a neck-roll from Will Stuart.
Garbisi taps the penalty and then kicks to touch. It's over. Ireland will have to beat France by seven points to win the title. France need a bonus-point win and a 32-point margin.
06:38 PMItaly 5 England 34, 80 minutes
Italy 5 England 34, 80 minutes
Last chance for England. They have a lineout inside the Italy 22.
06:36 PMItaly 5 England 34, 78 minutes
Italy 5 England 34, 78 minutes
Tom Dunn will have a minute at the end of this one. An unused replacement against Scotland earlier this year, he finally has that cap.
06:34 PMItaly 5 England 34, 76 minutes
Italy 5 England 34, 76 minutes
Lawrence makes ground with his first touch and then Dan Robson, on for Youngs, combines with Farrell to put May in some space.
May grubbers down-field to earn England a lineout but the visitors concede a frustrating maul penalty.
06:31 PMItaly 5 England 34, 75 minutes
Italy 5 England 34, 75 minutes
England's forwards take hold. They win a maul turnover, then a scrum penalty.
06:31 PMBlindside dart
Blindside dart
This was Curry's fourth try in his 24th Test.
England have the all-important bonus point try and it's @TomCurry98 who extends the lead!#ITVRugby #ITAvENG pic.twitter.com/wmbGFCbZYf
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 31, 2020
06:29 PMTry, Henry Slade! Italy 5 England 34, 73 minutes
Try, Henry Slade! Italy 5 England 34, 73 minutes
Neat. Farrell grubbers through, Earl gathers and offloads to Slade, who stays calm to finish.
Farrell's conversion hits the other post.
06:28 PMAnother Test debut
Another Test debut
Ollie Lawrence is now on as well.
06:26 PMTry, Tom Curry! Italy 5 England 29, 67 minutes
Try, Tom Curry! Italy 5 England 29, 67 minutes
Italy stall the maul but George and Youngs make ground down the short side and then Tom Curry does the same as Italy switch off. A sneaky score for the Sale Shark.
Farrell's conversion hits the post. England are now one point above Ireland on points difference.
06:23 PMItaly 5 England 24, 64 minutes
Italy 5 England 24, 64 minutes
Italy's scrum concedes a free-kick and then a penalty - possibly for throwing the ball away. England go to the corner.
06:21 PMMatch action
Match action
Here's the maul that led to Jamie George's try.
Jamie George dots down on his 50th appearance for England 🌹#ITAvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/mHBDxRUKjE
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 31, 2020
06:20 PMItaly 5 England 24, 62 minutes
Italy 5 England 24, 62 minutes
Past the hour mark and Italy have enjoyed a decent passage. Earl helps win back a Ben Youngs box-kick, though, and Thorley is into the game with a pick and go.
06:14 PMItaly 5 England 24, 58 minutes
Italy 5 England 24, 58 minutes
Ellis Genge replaces Mako Vunipola as Italy spurn a good lineout opportunity inside England's 22.
06:11 PMItaly 5 England 24, 55 minutes
Italy 5 England 24, 55 minutes
Earl concedes a penalty for no-arms tackle on Polledri but England will have the ball back soon enough after a kicking exchange sees Canna boot into touch around halfway.
06:07 PMItaly 5 England 24, 53 minutes
Italy 5 England 24, 53 minutes
Earl comes on for Underhill permanently as Ollie Thorley replaces Watson. A Test debut for the Gloucester man.
06:06 PMTry, Jamie George! Italy 5 England 24, 51 minutes
Try, Jamie George! Italy 5 England 24, 51 minutes
A strong maul buckles Italy and George dots down. Farrell converts and Italy need one more for the bonus point.
06:05 PMItaly 5 England 17, 49 minutes
Italy 5 England 17, 49 minutes
A strong period of defence from Italy with England going thorugh some varied phase-play in an attempt to break them down. Eventually the visitors earn a breakdown penalty and kick to touch.
06:01 PMMatch action
Match action
Youngs' second try, here. A very sharp snipe.
Sharp work from @benyoungs09 to pick up his second try of the evening
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 31, 2020
!#ITVRugby #ITAvENG pic.twitter.com/3HKjra71jJ
05:59 PMItaly 5 England 17, 46 minutes
Italy 5 England 17, 46 minutes
A really unlucky moment for Matteo Minozzi. He suffers a nasty head clash with Jonny May and is helped from the field. Gugliemo Palazzani replaces him.
05:57 PMItaly 5 England 17, 44 minutes
Italy 5 England 17, 44 minutes
Italy go long to the tail of a lineout but there is a knock-on. England celebrate the turnover.
Three mintues left on Polledri's yellow card.
05:54 PMTry, Ben Youngs! Italy 5 England 17, 42 minutes
Try, Ben Youngs! Italy 5 England 17, 42 minutes
The perfect start to the seconds period for England. Hill charges down Marcello Violi and Itaoje completes the turnover.
Youngs dummies from the base, totally foxing Danilo Fischetti. He scampers clear to score and Farrel converts.
05:51 PMSecond half
Second half
It has been a laboured start. England need at least three tries in this second period. They've been out on the pitch to warm up, with Farrell speaking to the players in a huddle. Italy join them now. Farrell will get us started.
05:43 PMMatch action
Match action
Here's Jake Polledri's try. Messy from England and opportunistic from Italy.
Jake Superior!
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) October 31, 2020
What a try from @federugby's top-class number 8 @JakePolledri! #ITAvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/TU77AwxKPk
05:38 PMHalf-time: Italy 5 England 10
Half-time: Italy 5 England 10
A hairy finish to a difficult half for England. Federico Mori breaks down the blindside and chips ahead. Furbank wins the race but neither man grounds the ball. May has to cover and rescue the situation.
05:35 PMItaly 5 England 10, 38 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 38 minutes
Italy hold firm, forcing the maul turnover and then being awarded a penalty as Billy Vunipola shoves someone in the melee.
05:33 PMYellow card, Jake Polledri!
Yellow card, Jake Polledri!
England's maul rumbles towards the line but Polledri shoots in at the side cynically. He's off to the bin, and it could have been a penalty try too.
05:31 PMItaly 5 England 10, 36 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 36 minutes
Earl cuts down an Italy carrier and, as Hill threatens to jackal, Luca Bigi goes off his feet. Penalty to England, and they hit touch within Italy's 22.
05:30 PMItaly 5 England 10, 34 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 34 minutes
A big moment, and a relief for England. Mako Vunipola forces a penalty out of Italy at the scrum and a bad-tempered reaction from Italy's forwards hands England 10 more metres.
Meanwhile, Sam Underhill needs some attention to a cut on his head. Ben Earl is on as a temporary replacement.
05:28 PMItaly 5 England 10, 33 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 33 minutes
Italy go long and gather through Steyn but Hill, back on the field, wraps up the ball.
The hosts drive the ball over the try-line, though, so they'll have a five-metre put-in.
05:25 PMItaly 5 England 10, 32 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 32 minutes
Another penalty for Italy, this time as England are adjudged to have dragged down the maul. The hosts now have a five-metre lineout.
05:24 PMItaly 5 England 10, 31 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 31 minutes
Another zippy break from Minozzi troubles England and May has to go back to collect a grubber and clear to touch.
Itoje concedes a penalty from the lineout, so England are under pressure again.
05:21 PMItaly 5 England 10, 28 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 28 minutes
Farrell dinks a cross-kick towards Joseph, who spills. From the ensuing scrum, England's defence is sturdy and aggressive. Eventually Italy kick down to Furbank, who clears to touch.
05:19 PMMatch action
Match action
Lots of kicking early on. Here's Furbank competing against Garbisi.
05:17 PMItaly 5 England 10, 26 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 26 minutes
Raking touch-finder from Furbank, who skips the ball into touch just outside the Italy 22. Five minutes left on Hill's yellow card.
05:14 PMItaly 5 England 10, 23 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 23 minutes
Italy hit touch and earn a lineout just outside England's 22.. but it's not straight. The camera pans to Eddie Jones in the coaches' box. He does not look amused.
05:13 PMYellow card, Jonny Hill
Yellow card, Jonny Hill
Not an ideal start to Jonny Hill's England career, and a bit of a tricky ahead for his team.
05:11 PMItaly 5 England 10, 21 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 21 minutes
There is a TMO check here, with Romain Poite alerting Gauzere to a high tackle from Jonny Hill on Edoardo Padovani...
05:09 PMItaly 5 England 10, 19 minutes
Italy 5 England 10, 19 minutes
Sam Underhill jackals from the restart... but is adjudged to not to have released the tackler. Penalty to Italy, but their lineout is messy under pressure from Itoje. Scrum to England.
05:07 PMTry, Jake Polledri! Italy 5 England 10, 17 minutes
Try, Jake Polledri! Italy 5 England 10, 17 minutes
Not in the script. Maro Itoje forces a jackal turnover but then Kyle Sinckler spills in midfield. Canna picks up the ball and links with Polledri, who out-strips Jamie George to score.
Garbisi lines up the kick from the touchline... he cannot quite add the extras.
05:05 PMMatch action
Match action
Here is Ben Youngs' try. Watch the influence of Billy Vunipola, attracting defenders in midfield.
The Centurion scores in Rome@benyoungs09 gets the opener for @EnglandRugby to go with his 100th cap!
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 31, 2020
Watch LIVE:
📺 @ITV
📱 https://t.co/WDQLrslCWl#ITVRugby #ITAvENG pic.twitter.com/5OVAnZQq82
05:04 PMItaly 0 England 7, 15 minutes
Italy 0 England 7, 15 minutes
More tidy stuff from England. Watson cuts back in-field after some interplay between Youngs and Furbank. He finds Curry and then Farrell grubbers across the pitch towards May on the opposite wing. He cannot quite gather.
05:02 PMA nice moment before kick-off
100 + 50 = ❤️
It's a landmark day for @benyoungs09 & @J_George2#ITAvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/KoDeiqOWzm
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) October 31, 2020
05:01 PMPenalty, Owen Farrell! Italy 0 England 10, 12 minutes
A nice moment before kick-off
100 + 50 = ❤️
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) October 31, 2020
It's a landmark day for @benyoungs09 & @J_George2#ITAvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/KoDeiqOWzm
05:01 PMPenalty, Owen Farrell! Italy 0 England 10, 12 minutes
Penalty, Owen Farrell! Italy 0 England 10, 12 minutes
Easy kick for Farrell as England build a score.
05:01 PMItaly 0 England 7, 12 minutes
Italy 0 England 7, 12 minutes
England pummel away inside the Italy 22 with Billy Vunipola prominent. Braam Steyn attempts to jackal but loses his balance. It's a penalty to England.
04:58 PMItaly 0 England 7, 10 minutes
Italy 0 England 7, 10 minutes
A touch for Slade at first-receiver from the scrum. His grubber is intended for Jonny May but there's a little spill.
04:57 PMItaly 0 England 7, 8 minutes
Italy 0 England 7, 8 minutes
Goo defensive pressure from Youngs and England's back row. They harry Italy from a scrum and, when Carlo Canna attempts to cut an angle, he drops the ball. Put-in for England.
04:54 PMTry, Ben Youngs! Italy 0 England 7, 5 minutes
Try, Ben Youngs! Italy 0 England 7, 5 minutes
A fine start for the centurion, but it's all about Owen Farrell. He takes a pull-back pass from Mako Vunipola behind Billy Vunipola and carves through the middle. Youngs is on his shoulder and it's 7-0 after Farrell converts.
04:52 PMItaly 0 England 0, 3 minutes
Italy 0 England 0, 3 minutes
Slightly frantic from England. Furbank and Curry win a penalty with a two-man jackal and Ben Youngs taps and goes. There is a spill after Henry Slade carries into the Italy 22, though.
04:50 PMItaly 0 England 0, 2 minutes
Italy 0 England 0, 2 minutes
Referee Pascal Gauzere awards England a penalty and they hit touch. Jonny Hill takes at the tail - a nice settler - and England instigate a drive. Owen Farrell goes high but Garbisi takes easily.
04:48 PMKick-off
Kick-off
Paolo Garbisi starts us off and Billy Vunipola catches, charging into the Italy kick-chase.
Ben Youngs box-kicks and Matteo Minozzi breaks the tackle of Jonny May but then spills. England scrum.
04:45 PMAnthems
Anthems
First God Save the Queen, and then Il Canto degli Italiani. Here we go.
04:41 PMPlayers out
Players out
Ben Youngs leads England out, followed by Jamie George. The 100-cap man and his 50-cap teammate embrace in the middle of a deserted Stadio Olimpico. The new normal. Kick-off soon.
04:37 PMCaption competition
Caption competition
It feels like a big day for Billy Vunipola. What do you think Eddie Jones is saying to him here?
04:32 PMJack Willis is on the field as a travelling reserve
Jack Willis is on the field as a travelling reserve
Surely, surely his England debut is coming at some stage this autumn...
04:28 PMLimbering up
Limbering up
Mako Vunipola ensures his neck muscles are in working order prior to this evening's shift.
04:15 PMHalf an hour until kick-off
Half an hour until kick-off
England attack coach Simon Amor said that his players were aiming to start assertively and impose themselves on the game. He seemed excited about the impact that youngsters such as Ollie Lawrence and Ollie Thorley could have from the bench as well.
04:14 PMWarm-ups underway
Warm-ups underway
It's a big afternoon for this man.
04:10 PMInside story
Inside story
Make-shift goal-posts in the back garden, a teenage debut for Leicester Tigers... now 100 England caps.
Mick Cleary charts the journey of centurion Ben Youngs.
03:58 PMKicking key
Kicking key
All week, England have stressed the importance of staying patient. Italy could frustrate them by kicking accurately out of hand because there are two obvious areas in which they can challenge England.
First, as Austin Healey wrote this week, Eddie Jones has selected George Furbank at full-back. He has endured a difficult second half of the season with Northampton Saints.
Second, with Jonny Hill making a first Test appearance at lock in front of a back-row trio of Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Billy Vunipola,England could be vulnerable at the lineout. There will be a great deal of onus on Maro Itoje as the caller.
03:51 PMIntroducing Paolo Garbisi
Introducing Paolo Garbisi
On debut last weekend, at the end of a pretty chastening afternoon for Italy, 20-year-old Garbisi sliced through Ireland.
He explained this week that Owen Farrell, his opposite man today and England's captain, is one of his heroes.
03:47 PM'Even though the mountain top looms above you, you cannot be daunted'
'Even though the mountain top looms above you, you cannot be daunted'
My colleague Mick Cleary has interviewed Italy head coach Franco Smith. Have a read here.
03:43 PMEngland arrive
Here they come 👋#GuinnessSixNations #ITAvENG @O2sports #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/vFtHBsQ5A8
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 31, 2020
England arrive
Here they come 👋#GuinnessSixNations #ITAvENG @O2sports #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/vFtHBsQ5A8
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 31, 2020
Quite eerie with the masks, but we are where we are.
03:34 PMConditions
Conditions
It looks very pleasant out there in Italy.
03:33 PMHere we go
Here we go
Hello and welcome to the second instalment of our Six Nations Super Saturday coverage on the Telegraph Sport liveblog.
We now turn to Rome and England’s attempt to stay in touch with fellow title-chasers France and Ireland, who lock horns later. A four-try bonus point and a heavy victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico is the aim for Eddie Jones’ team. History is on their side.
They have won all 26 matches against the Azzurri and you have to go back to 2013, and a dour 18-13 victory at Twickenham, for the last time England failed to score four tries.
Their last three winning margins in Anglo-Italian fixtures have been 37 points, 43 points and 31 points. Last weekend, of course, Franco Smith’s men went down 50-17in Ireland.
There are plenty of subplots this afternoon. Exeter Chiefs lock Jonny Hill makes a Test debut. Bath hooker Tom Dunn, Worcester centre Ollie Lawrence and Gloucester wing Ollie Thorley could do the same from the bench.
On the other end of the experience scale, Jamie George hits 50 caps for England and BenYoungs reaches three figures – a remarkable achievement. Livewire full-back Matteo Minozzi starts for Italy following his appearance in the Premiership final for Wasps.
He joinsa backline that will be steered by 20-year-old fly-half Paolo Garbisi, who made his Test debut in Dublin.
Italy
15 .Matteo Minozzi, 14. Edoardo Padovani, 13. Luca Morisi, 12. Carlo Canna, 11. Mattia Bellini, 10. Paolo Garbisi, 9. Marcello Violi; 1. Danilo Fischetti, 2. LucaBigi, 3. Giosue Zilocchi, 4. Marco Lazzaroni, Niccolo Cannone, 6. Sebastien Negri, 7. Braam Steyn, 8. Jake Polledri
Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17. Simone Ferrari, 18. Pietro Ceccarelli, 19. David Sisi, 20. Johan Meyer, 21. Maxime Mbanda, 22. Gugliemo Palazzani, 23. Federico Mori
England
15. George Furbank, 14. Anthony Watson, 13. Jonathan Joseph, 12. Henry Slade, 11. JonnyMay, 10. Owen Farrell (captain), 9. Ben Youngs; 1. Mako Vunipola, 2. Jamie George, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Tom Curry, 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16. Tom Dunn, 17. Ellis Genge, 18. Will Stuart, 19. Charlie Ewels, 20. Ben Earl, 21. Dan Robson, 22. Ollie Lawrence, 23. Ollie Thorley