Key events
Preamble
Now then, are England in a Six Nations title challenge? Mathematically they’ve got a real shout thanks to France’s demolition of Ireland yesterday. In fact, if England bag a bonus point win this afternoon, they’ll leapfrog Ireland into second place on the table with a final showdown against Wales to come. Have we officially entered ‘whisper it quietly’ territory yet?
Of course nothing is guaranteed here. Despite Italy shipping 11 tries to France in their last match, there’s no doubt they’re an improved outfit. Sure they haven’t quite fired on all cylinders this campaign but they’ve got enough firepower in the backline to hurt any defence. However, they are brittle in the tight five and around the fringe on defence, and if England can find a way to get out of second gear on attack, they could put on a rare show at HQ.
Steve Borthwick has copped some criticism for his pragmatic kick-heavy approach. But the team is winning, and, barring a proper mess against the two weakest teams, they could finish second having placed third, fourth, third and fifth in the last four years.
Can they do the business today? We’ll find out once things kick-off at 3pm. Team news and further updates to come til then. And if you’ve got thoughts on this game or any other this weekend, feel free to write in.