Six Nations: Italy V England

England now descend on Rome in the hope of adding to their Triple Crown. But, before we focus our attention on this massively important contest, we must first pay tribute to one of the true greats of the game, a man who needs no introduction, Ireland’s talisman, the proud wearer of the Irish 13 shirt as he ends his international career this weekend in Paris.

    And so, amidst much speculation, we face the final curtain. It is show time for this year’s Six Nations Cup. Will it be Ireland or England, the shamrock or the rose, to lift the trophy? We wait with baited breath to see whose day it will be and why this year, does the tournament seem so special?

                                                                  Who will take the spoils? 

  The retirement of one of Ireland’s greatest gladiators, the undeniable talent and try scoring artisan that is Brian O’Driscoll, has, perhaps, added an extra dimension to a competition which already inspires so much interest, enthusiasm and patriotic zeal. A quick look at the life of Brian immediately highlights why he has become a living legend.

  

  O’ Driscoll has amassed 140 Test caps, 132 for Ireland (83 as captain), and 8 for the British and Irish Lions. During this time he has scored 46 tries for Ireland and 1 try for the Lions in 2001, making him the highest try scorer of all time in Irish Rugby. He is 8th-highest try scorer in rugby union history, and the highest scoring centre of all time. O’Driscoll in fact still holds the Six Nations record for most tries scored with an impressive 26.

    

Whether you like Blarney, Caerphilly, Camembert, Crowdie, Mozzarella or Stilton on your biscuit, you’ll secretly, if not openly, want the Irish outside centre to end his international career with yet another breathtaking performance and memories, as a result, that he and the rest of Ireland can cherish. For those of us with a red rose on our shirts, we too will be wishing Ireland’s number thirteen a magical, memorable swansong, but, not at the expense of Lancaster’s cohorts. No, indeed, Albion’s thoughts, hopes and dreams lie with the men in white, not with the men in green, and the entire nation will be visualising Robshaw lifting the Six Nations trophy, when the final whistle blows.

   

  It’s been said before and it will undoubtedly be said again, that, Stuart Lancaster must surely be kicking himself after Paris. This was the poorest of starts for the English campaign, with the team showing a lack of concentration in the latter stages of the match against the French. It was a bitterly disappointing defeat, which subsequently robbed England of what surely would have been their best chance of a Grand Slam victory since 2003. The Azzurri on the other hand, want to rectify their capitulation of a once promising 2014 campaign by achieving a historic first win over the men in white. All in all, you sense a stern test for the English as they take to the field in Rome and more importantly, needing a decisive win, if they are to overcome Ireland’s imposing point’s advantage.

                                                      Will Lawes continue his dominance in Rome? 

The first game of the closing weekend gives us two teams facing off against each other, whilst in the midst of transition. Indeed, Jacques Brunel has been working hard to alter Italy’s style of play, moving away from simply shutting teams down to actually playing a bit of rugger.  Youngster’s such as Michele Campagnaro and Joshua Furno have heaps of ability and are potential game changers. As a result, many believe this team are due a blinder of a performance soon. The same can also be said of Stuart Lancaster’s England. This team too are in transition, with the Six Nations providing the much needed challenges this still very youthful and inexperienced side required in order to progress. It may well prove to be a turning point in English rugby. A defence that has bruised and battered all opposition for a while now, has finally been coupled with an exciting and dare I say creative offence. Add to that the return of Manu Tuilagi to the bench and you have a side that is finally starting to show the signs of potential greatness that many have been forecasting for some time.

         

  It will be interesting to see how both backlines fair against each other given their joint lack of experience. But, it’s in the pack where the most interesting match ups lie, particularly since England have lost the much improved Joe Marler in the scrum. Marler, an expectant father, is awaiting the imminent arrival of his first child and as such, is unavailable for selection. As a result, in comes Maku Vunipola, who even after travelling with the Lions, has slipped down to third choice for England at loose head.  Often under criticism for his questionable work in the scrum,  Vunipola will face a strong challenge in attempting to nullify his Italian front row opposite. Speaking of which, Italy have been shorn of the imperial Martin Castrogiavanni , meaning that Lorenzo Cittadini steps in to fill the gap at tight head.  Parisse returns to captain the side and can be guaranteed to be at his mercurial best come kick off. His battle against Ben Morgan could be another humdinger.    

                                                                 Mako Vunipola in for Marler.

As second rows go, Joe Launchberry and Courtney Lawes have been the pairing of the tournament and they will certainly be looking to cement their new found partnership in Rome. Italy, however, have also uncovered a gem of their own, in the shape of Joshua Furno. The young lock has, despite his move to the blind side for this game, given Italy some much needed prowess in the line out. Furno, incidentally, also scored a very well taken try against the Scots. A try, which almost won his side the game had it not been for a late Duncan Weir drop goal.

   

  Prediction: Despite the testament of results in this tournament, the Italians have noticeably improved. However, one cannot help but feel that this will not be a day when the history books are rewritten. A confident English outfit look certain to finish the tournament on 8 points. All English fans will be watching this final and crucial game closely. However, one eye I am sure will be focused on the match taking place in Paris. England, it must be said, will want to ensure victory against the Italians first and foremost, meaning that if there is to be flurry of points, it will likely only come in the last quarter. England by 20.

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Joshua Furno, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.

Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Alberto de Marchi, 19 George Fabio Biagi, 20 Paul Derbyshire, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Tommaso Allan. 23 Andrea Masi.

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Mako Vunipola

Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 David Attwood, 20 Tom Johnson, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 George Ford, 23 Manu Tuilagi

Date: Saturday, February 15

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Kick-off: 14:30 (local, 13:30 GMT)

Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)

Assistant Referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Leighton Hodges (Wales)

TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Article by Alex Dodd