England will look to get back to winning ways when they face Italy in the Six Nations today.
An opening defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend means England are already playing catch up, and the manner of the Calcutta Cup will have been particularly frustrating for head coach Eddie Jones.
England have made six changes for the trip to Rome as they prepare to play an Italy side whose losing run in the Six Nations extended to 33 matches away to France in Paris last weekend.
England have won all 28 previous meetings against Italy, including a 41-18 win at Twickenham last season. They have also managed to score at least 34 points against Italy in each of their last nine encounters.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match this afternoon.
When is Italy vs England?
The match kicks off at 3pm on Sunday 13 February at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
How can I watch it?
It will be shown live on ITV 1, with coverage starting from 2:15pm. It will also be available to stream live online on the ITV Hub.
What is the team news?
Ben Youngs will have to equal Jason Leonard’s England rugby cap record off the bench after being demoted for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Italy.
Harry Randall is the preferred starter at scrum-half with Youngs included among the replacements as he chases Leonard’s milestone of 114 England appearances.
Elliot Daly has been squeezed out of the starting XV as part of a midfield reshuffle that sees Joe Marchant move to outside centre while Jack Nowell takes his place on the left wing.
The biggest changes are made up front where Luke Cowan-Dickie drops to the bench after conceding a crucial penalty try at Murrayfield, allowing Jamie George to take over at hooker.
A rejigged back row sees Alex Dombrandt replace Sam Simmonds at number eight and Maro Itoje take over from the injured Lewis Ludlam at blindside flanker.
Confirmed line-ups
Italy
15. Edoardo Padovani 14. Federico Mori 13 . Juan Ignacio Brex 12. Marco Zanon 11. Montanna Ioane 10. Paolo Garbisi 9. Stephen Varney 1. Danilo Fischetti 2. Gianmarco Lucchesi 3. Pietro Ceccarelli 4. Niccolo Cannone 5. Federico Ruzza 6. Braam Steyn 7. Michele Lamaro 8. Toa Halafihi
Replacements: 16. Epalahame Faiva 17. Cherif Traore 18. Tiziano Pasquali 19. David Sisi 20. Sebastian Negri 21. Giovanni Pettinelli 22. Alessandro Fusco 23. Leonardo Marin
England
15. Freddie Steward 14. Max Malins 13. Joe Marchant 12. Henry Slade 11. Jack Nowell 10. Marcus Smith 9. Harry Randall 1. Ellis Genge 2. Jamie George 3. Will Stuart 4. Charlie Ewels 5. Nick Isiekwe 6. Maro Itoje 7. Tom Curry 8. Alex Dombrandt
Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie 17. Joe Marler 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. Ollie Chessum 20. Sam Simmonds 21. Ben Youngs 22. George Ford 23. Elliot Daly
Odds
Italy win: 1/50
England win: 50/1
Prediction
A resounding England win that poses yet more questions about Italy’s place in the Six Nations. The only intrigue here is in if England can secure a bonus-point win and get their Six Nations campaign back on track.
