It is Italy’s misfortune to be arriving at Twickenham at precisely the wrong moment. English tails are up and the chance to gain some momentum on Saturday before they host this autumn’s World Cup is a further incentive to put on a show. “Italy is a dress rehearsal for a home World Cup,” said Ben Youngs, as keen as anyone to be a leading light. “We’ve only got seven games before our first game against Fiji so there are only so many dress rehearsals you can have.”
The Italians may have made life awkward for England in this fixture two years ago but they were rumbled 52-11 in Rome 12 months ago by opponents who are potentially stronger now. If a Valentine’s Day massacre is not guaranteed, it will be the shock of the decade if the Azzurri score a historic first victory over England at the 21st attempt.
Such an outcome would abruptly stifle any hint of Six Nations title optimism following last weekend’s events in Cardiff. As the backs coach, Andy Farrell, was swift to emphasise, however, now is absolutely not the time for England to slacken off so soon after giving everyone a tantalising glimpse of their full potential. “There’s a feelgood factor around the country at the moment and we have to back up that performance by making everyone feel the same way again next week,” said Farrell, as England wound up their pre-game preparations.
“In the Six Nations you have to make sure that mentally and emotionally you’re in the right place. That’s important against Italy as well because, let’s not forget, that it was a cup final for everyone last week. To win a championship you have five of those cup finals.”
The ever competitive Farrell also described Italy as “dangerous”, if only in the sense they have nothing to lose. Yet if England aspire to be as ruthless as, say, New Zealand, this is the kind of game they should be looking to win at a brisk canter. Reproduce the upbeat tempo of their second half at the Millennium Stadium, move their increasingly veteran opponents around and the home side could also do their end-of-season points difference a power of good.
Injecting that pace and chivvying on his forwards is precisely what Youngs did so expertly in Cardiff, although the Leicester scrum-half recognises it might take an hour for Italy’s forward totems, Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni, to crack: “Guys like Parisse and Castro are big-game players so they are going to be up for it and will take some breaking down. We have got to be patient. It could be an arm-wrestle for 60-70 minutes and then hopefully we will push through.
“We have got to make sure they don’t get any easy ball or feed off any scraps from us. Our gameplan is not too dissimilar to what it was last weekend. They defend a lot tighter around the ruck so opportunities to get out will probably be harder than they were against Wales. But if you make Castro run enough I’m sure there will be a space somewhere.”
The cheeky grin on Youngs’ face merely served to emphasise his rekindled love of the game and renewed physical aptitude for the challenge.
Both had evaporated in the aftermath of the 2013 Lions tour, to the point where the management felt they had no option but to drop him from the match-day squad. In the cold light of day Youngs now accepts the coaches were absolutely right to jettison him. “It was tough but I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me. Maybe I needed that to get to where I am now. And if that’s the case, I’d rather have done it last year than this year with the World Cup round the corner.
“I think it was just about finding the enjoyment of rugby again if I’m honest. Saturday should be the best day of the week for a rugby player but for me at that time it wasn’t.” Again in hindsight, he feels the Lions tour extracted more from the Leicester contingent than anyone realised at the time. “Myself and my brother Tom were actually the only ones who stayed fit through the whole year but we suffered through form.
“It is the emotional comedown as well as the fact your pre-season is a lot shorter. Before you know it you’re playing a pre-season game in front of one man and a dog and Cockers [Richard Cockerill] is shouting at you. Then you’re sitting in the changing room thinking: ‘Oh God.’”
Now, though, he is back in the box seat, a wiser player who, by his own admission, issues clearer instructions than the “white noise” he previously screamed at those around him.
With George Ford, Jonathan Joseph, Jonny May and Anthony Watson all waiting to be given a licence to thrill behind him, a 35-point winning margin is perfectly possible if England do not fluff their lines.
