Simmonds and co impress, but fault lines exist in Eddie's England

England’s trip to Rome on Sunday bordered on something resembling the perfect start to the Six Nations for Eddie Jones and his men.

Not only were they able to score a resounding away win, wrapping up a potentially important bonus point in the process, but they were also tested by an Italian side that did not simply rollover and who were more than content to play a high-tempo game with the reigning champions.

England may have ultimately racked up a 46-15 score on their hosts – and that was fair value for their overall performance – but Conor O’Shea’s side were competitive with England for much of the game and it wasn’t until the 68^th minute that England really put away the Azzurri.

There was none of the innovative spoiling that Italy brought to Twickenham last year and fans at the Stadio Olimpico were treated to a contest where both sides played positive, attacking rugby.

Except for a potentially significant knee injury to starting scrum-half Ben Youngs, who will have a scan on Monday, the game could not have gone better for Jones, whose side now go into their preparation for Wales’ visit to Twickenham feeling confident, battle-tested and looking unusually sharp for their first game together in over two months.

Even during Jones’ particularly successful tenure, slow starts to games and tournaments have been a hallmark of England, due in part, especially in regard to the latter, to the larger collection of teams the players are drawn from in comparison to many other nations, but there was notably little rust on England in Rome.

Wales got off to their own sharp start, besting Scotland, 34-7, in Cardiff on Saturday, making England’s quick start all the more important heading into a crucial fixture at Twickenham this coming weekend.

The playmaking 10-12 axis of George Ford and Owen Farrell were on the same wavelength throughout and looked comfortable pulling the strings on the gain-line. Ford mixed up his game well, with a combination of flat passes and cutbacks, and both players crossed the try line, popping up with the vital assisting passes for one another.

At the set-piece, England also looked in fine shape.

Dylan Hartley was 11 from 11 with his lineout throws and there was perhaps little surprise England excelled in this area, with Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes their two primary jumpers, but it was the superior scrum, something England have lacked in recent times, which caught the eye.

Dan Cole turned the screw on his opposite number Andrea Lovotti in the first half and continued that dominance into the second half against replacement Nicola Quaglio. More arduous challenges await – most notably Ireland’s vaunted front-row – but it was a welcome sight for Jones, who picked it out as a particularly praiseworthy area after the game.

Elsewhere in the pack, Sam Simmonds’ first start in England colours could not have gone better. When the Italian defence was fresh and space was at a premium, Simmonds made his presence known as a defender, successfully chop tackling his way to half time, and it was after the break that his attacking skills came to the fore.

With the Italian defence focused on the lineout and maul threat posed by Lawes, a neat transfer from the Northampton man saw Simmonds run through a hole in the Italian defence and his turn of pace saw him gallop away from the cover. Similarly, his second try came in a one-on-two situation where he was able to run between – and away from – a wing and a scrum-half. It’s a rare skill set in a modern Test No 8 and one England will have to work on ways of still being able to capitalise on when both Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes return to fitness.

There was no shortage of other impressive performances, with Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell both looking dangerous out wide, Maro Itoje industrious and Ben Te’o providing a thrust not seen in an England centre pairing since Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi patrolled the midfield.

England weren’t without their faults, though.

Both Mattia Bellini and Tommaso Benvenuti were able to hurt England out wide and with Te’o at 13 rather than Joseph, it was noticeable that England defended more narrowly. Te’o did make good decisions as to when and when not to blitz, but he is not as mobile as Joseph is, particularly when fanning out wide and staying with attacking players on outside arcs.

It was a mixed bag for Mike Brown and Jonny May, too, who had important attacking impact but also made some errors here and there. Combined with the width of England’s defence, Wales will head to Twickenham believing that the wider channels and in behind the defence are areas they can hurt the home side.

It was a good “carrying-by-committee” performance from England, who got on the front-foot through a combination of Lawes, Mako Vunipola and the rest of the pack, but there was no player they were able to go to and consistently be guaranteed of breaking the gain line, in the way they usually can when Billy Vunipola is available.

It didn’t cost England in Rome but again, if Wales are looking for ways they can get at England, ensuring their fringe defence is as formidable as it can be, is another conceivable way of denying Jones’ side the momentum they crave.

Rhys Patchell’s performance on Saturday will not have gone unnoticed by England, either, and raises questions of how will the home side try to stymie the in-form fly-half?

Could this be another way of utilising Simmonds’ unique skills?

There is no end of interesting factors to consider heading into England vs Wales, but perhaps the most exciting thing about next weekend’s match-up is the coming together of these two midfields, who clicked so successfully in their first outings of the tournament.

The almost-telepathic connection of Ford and Farrell floating around the hard-running of Te’o versus the all-Scarlets trio at the heart of Wales’ comfortable win over Scotland? It’s a salivating head-to-head.

Keep your eyes peeled on RugbyPass.com this week, where we will be taking a closer tactical look at England’s performance in Rome and previewing the match with Wales in more detail.