England can silence critics with bold’ win over Italy

There is a famous television interview that came to stand as a signature memory of Steve Borthwick’s oft-maligned tenure as England captain.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

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.

His time as head coach so far has been nowhere near as miserable as that tricky campaign but the recent messaging has been nonetheless mixed. As England prepare for another meeting with the Azzurri, their beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder – at last winning games after an annum of near misses, criticism of their showing against Scotland has rankled the camp, the players questioning what, precisely, the public want.

Tomorrow, there can be no mistaking the demand. England have still not lost to Italy; while a three-point margin in Rome last year reflects their growth, the Allianz Stadium crowd will anticipate England not just winning, but winning well.