• Four second-half tries secure win after dismal opening
If this is how England are going to respond to unfamiliar surroundings at the forthcoming World Cup in Japan they are not going to frighten many opponents. Make all the polite noises you like about dress rehearsals or shadow boxing but, until the final quarter, this was far from the dominant 80-minute display Eddie Jones would have ideally liked ahead of his squad’s departure on Sunday .
If the hosts did perk up in the second half, having led 9-0 at the interval, it was only because they had no other option. Barely half an hour of the game had elapsed when Jones opted to haul off both his starting props, Joe Marler and Dan Cole, and it required second-half tries from Ben Youngs, Joe Marchant, Ellis Genge and Anthony Watson to earn a victory that, for the first 50 minutes, was significantly less comfortable than the final margin might suggest.
Written by Robert Kitson at St James’ Park
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/06/england-italy-rugby-union-world-cup-warm-up-match-report under the title “England fail to impress in World Cup warm-up victory over Italy”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
