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England Player Ratings
Ellis Genge - Got on the wrong side of Andrew Brace’s whistle and failed to continue the solid form shown in previous outings. 5
Jamie George - A landmark day for one of the nicest guys in the sport. Fantastic hands in build up to Sleightholme’s try and illustrated his usual accurate darts. 7
Will Stuart - England’s most improved player? Wicked step by the man mountain before Marcus Smith’s try and made vital defensive reads. 7.5
Maro Itoje © - A mixed bag conceding foolish penalties and made a bizarre call to dive over a ruck in heavy traffic during a bid to score in the first half. Lineout maul defence impeccable and made some great carries and offloads. 6
Ollie Chessum - Penalised at lineout time early on but that was the sole blot on his copybook as the Leicester Tigers lock produced a fine performance in the engine room and proved valuable off restarts. 8
Tom Curry - Great finish from close-range showcasing his power. Conceded a not releasing penalty but was everywhere around the park making big tackles. 7
Ben Earl - Did a lot of unseen work and reacted first to a lot of loose balls. Will be frustrated to have gone off injured but returned with vengeance to score late try. 7
Tom Willis - POTM. Blew the door down from the off producing bulldozer like carries and took his try brilliantly. Disrupted Italy’s rucks excellently before coming off early in the second half. 8.5
Alex Mitchell - Still yet to see the Mitchell of Northampton for England but bar the odd knock on, it was a solid performance after an underwhelming display against Scotland. 6
Fin Smith - Carried into traffic and was dispossesed on a few occasions early on but once settled, proved the orchestrator of England’s finally free-flowing attack. Deadly off the tee. 8
Ollie Sleightholme - Six tries in eight caps is a hell of a strike rate and the two he took today needed his blistering pace. 7
Fraser Dingwall - Missed a tackle in the build up to Vintcent’s try but grew as a useful second playmaker, particularly with his neat attacking grubber kicks in behind. 6.5
Ollie Lawrence - Frustrating freak injury sustained and will be hoping for a miracle recovery to maintain his Lions dreams alive. N/A
Tommy Freeman - Showcased his Northampton chemistry linking up beautifully with Smith. Moved into midfield in the second half suggesting a positional change next weekend. 7
Elliot Daly - Passed beautifully under pressure during collisions and his innovative kick in behind for Freeman’s try came at a crucial game when the game was in the balance. 8
Replacements:
Luke Cowan-Dickie - Maintained lineout dominance. 7
Fin Baxter - Solid impact at scrum time and in the loose. 7
Joe Heyes - Good work in the scrum offset by conceding foolish penalties. 5
Ted Hill - Solid cameo but will have to do more to threaten the starting pack. 5.5
Chandler Cunningham-South - Much improved impact off the bench, this time not giving away any silly penalties. 6
Ben Curry - Dovetailed nicely in the back row alongside his brother. Textbook jackal turnover. 7.5
Jack van Poortvliet - Looked lively and maintained England’s quick ball. 6
Marcus Smith - Wicked step for his try rounding Capuozzo and great to see him unleashed following a difficult week. 8