Rugby: Rampant England stun Italy in Rome

 ROME - An excellent second half performance ensured that England supporters left the Stadio Olimpico in high spirits on Sunday. A hat trick from Jonathan Joseph contributed to a dismantling of Italy and a 9-40 scoreline.

 Following a hard-fought victory over Scotland in their opening fixture of this year’s Six Nations, England headed for Rome with confidence, however the team knew they were likely to face a stiff test with an Italian side, which had only narrowly lost to France last week. However, on a mild February afternoon in the Italian capital, the England team responded to the challenge magnificently and despite a few first half errors, amassed 29 unanswered points during a merciless second half rampage.

 Eddie Jones’ second away win in only his second game in charge represents an excellent start to life in the England job for the former Japan coach. Many experts were questioning his team selection prior to the opening match against Scotland, with Jones preferring to go with experienced heads rather than certain form players in the Aviva Premiership. Nevertheless, on the day Jones’ squad delivered, with the eventual margin of victory doing little to flatter the visitors.

 In spite of England’s dominance, there was one moment midway through the second half, which the Azzurri were left to rue. Joseph’s 53rd minute interception of a rushed Leonardo Sarto pass allowed England some much needed breathing space and when, five minutes later, Joseph again crossed the try line thanks to Danny Care’s inviting kick, England were well and truly in the ascendancy.

 In the early stages of the contest, a steady accumulation of penalties from the again impressive Carlo Canna had kept the Azzurri within touching distance and when the half time whistle sounded with the score standing at 11-9 to England, there were few signs of an eventual 31-point win. It would be easy to pin the improvement in performance on the arrivals of messrs Marler, Launchbury and Care, yet in reality the fans in the Stadio Olimpico were treated to a much improved team effort by England during the second period.

 After two successive away victories, all eyes will turn to London and Twickenham, for the impending arrival of Ireland and Wales. The signs are positive for England and Eddie Jones, however the next two fixtures will represent a crucial period in the quest for a first red rose Grand Slam since 2003.