England vs Italy LIVE rugby: Latest build-up and updates from Six Nations as Marcus Smith dropped to the bench
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England will look to continue to build momentum as they seek a third successive win with Italy in town.
Narrow victories over France and Scotland have been overdue tight successes for Steve Borthwick’s side, though they themselves have conceded that they are yet to produce their best in this campaign. With a reasonably friendly finish to the Six Nations, the hope for Borthwick will be that his side can open up their attacking game and eradicate a few glaring defensive flaws.
The England head coach leaves Marcus Smith on the bench and drops Henry Slade entirely for the visit of the Azzurri, who are looking to bounce back from a battering at the hands of France. The shipping of 11 tries in Rome punctured the optimism that had surrounded Gonzalo Quesada’s squad but there is still a lot to like about an Italian team that will again seek a first ever victory over their hosts.
Follow all of the latest from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in our live blog below:
The time for patience is over – England must finally deliver a complete Six Nations performance
There is a famous television interview that came to stand as a signature memory of Steve Borthwick’s oft-maligned tenure as England captain. It was February 2010 at the Stadio Flaminio and England had endured a dreadful day, barely squeaking by a limited Italian side. Off the skipper came to face the BBC microphone, before uttering a short sentence that came to define his muddled, morose stint.
“I thought some of the stuff we did was outstanding,” was the misjudged reply to the questioning of Sonja McLaughlan, an opinion that the ever-forthright No 8 Nick Easter almost immediately disagreed with. “My god, that was boring,” Easter remarked post-match – an assessment most felt rather more correct. Borthwick lasted just two more matches before a knee injury ended his Six Nations; that July, while the lock was on his honeymoon in Bali, a call from Martin Johnson ended his international career entirely.
Harry Latham-Coyle9 March 2025 10:00
England vs Italy LIVE
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of the final fixture of this penultimate Six Nations weekend. Italy are at Twickenham seeking a first ever win over the hosts, with England hoping to finally produce a complete performance after squeaking past both France and Scotland.
Kick off at the Allianz Stadium is at 3pm.
Harry Latham-Coyle8 March 2025 07:28
