Italy vs England: Head-to-head Preview Ratings

After the drama of Italy unleashing “The Fox” last season and the general tension surrounding the comments of the two respective coaches in the aftermath and now build-up to this fixture, Italy vs England has more excitement around it this season than it has had for many a year.

The teams for the clash in Rome were announced earlier today and we have rated each player in the respective XVs, on a scale of 1-10.

So, who, man-for-man, comes out on top on paper?

15. Matteo Minozzi 6 vs Mike Brown 7

Minozzi is an exciting player but you would expect Brown to have the edge on him in dealing with the aerial contests and making the one-on-one tackles required of full-backs. If the game breaks up and becomes loose, it could play into Minozzi’s hands.

14. Tommaso Benvenuti 6.5 vs Anthony Watson 8

Benvenuti is almost this generation’s Andrea Masi, capable of playing multiple positions in the Italian back line. He is not quite the dangerous finisher out wide and threat from deep that Watson is, though.

13. Tommaso Boni 6.5 vs Ben Te’o 7

Te’o could quite easily be higher than a seven here, but with the centre having played little rugby of late due to injury, there is a chance he has some early tournament rust to shake off in Rome. If he hits the ground running, this will be a more one-sided contest.

12. Tommaso Castello 7.5 vs Owen Farrell 9

As well as Castello has played this season, this is a contest you have to give to Farrell. Farrell has been moving through the gears following a post-Lions series injury and is beginning to come into some excellent form. Castello enjoys the contact, though, so expect to see him run at Ford and Farrell.

11. Mattia Bellini 7.5 vs Jonny May 7.5

Not much in this one, with Bellini in good form for Zebre and more than capable of hurting England. May has speed that Bellini doesn’t, but the Italian is very adept at finding space – not always on the wing – and is a good match for the Leicester man.

10. Tommaso Allan 7 vs George Ford 8

Carlo Canna has shown good form in the PRO14 and it’s a bit of a surprise he doesn’t start here. If Ford is on song, however, he likely takes this match-up with Allan, who is a solid fly-half, but doesn’t have the same kind of result-defining ability that Ford does.

9. Marcello Violi 6.5 vs Ben Youngs 7

We do have Youngs ahead here on the scorecard, but is this somewhere Italy can eek out an advantage? Youngs has had a tough season behind a Leicester pack that have failed to consistently deliver for him. It could be the England pack that gets him back on the front-foot.

1. Andrea Lovotti 7 vs Mako Vunipola 8.5

Two props, it’s fair to say, who may not be the most adept scrummagers in their respective national teams, but who deliver in other areas, with their attacking ability and defensive energy. The nod must go to Vunipola here, who is as good as it gets in the loose for a prop.

2. Leonardo Ghiraldini 6.5 vs Dylan Hartley 6.5

Two savvy veterans of the game. Set-piece security will be the priority and their leadership will be vital to both sides. Ghiraldini may have the edge in the loose, with Hartley delivering with his lineout throwing.

3. Simone Ferrari 6.5 vs Dan Cole 7

Cole is another player to suffer from Leicester’s indifferent season and like Youngs, will be hoping the next two months with England put him back at the top of his game. Ferrari and Cole won’t be going head-to-head with each other and both will have eyes on working an advantage at the scrum against their opposition looseheads.

4. Alessandro Zanni 6 vs Joe Launchbury 8

Zanni finally reaching his 100^th cap for the Azzurri should be celebrated but he is going to have a tough day going up against a very effective English second row. Launchbury will be key to giving England front-foot ball in the absence of Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes.

5. Dean Budd 6.5 vs Maro Itoje 9

Similar to Zanni, Budd is a good second row but it’s an area of the Italian team where there is a clear disparity between them and their English counterparts. An early season injury to Itoje has limited the amount of rugby he has played this season and he looks fresh and ready to make a significant contribution over the next two months.

6. Sebastian Negri 6.5 vs Courtney Lawes 8

Negri has been flourishing for Benetton and looks as though he can be a big part of the Italian back-row moving forward. He’s going up against a British and Irish Lion in Lawes, though, who seems to have found his niche at Test level now on the blindside.

7. Renato Giammarioli 7 vs Chris Robshaw 7.5

Giammarioli is one of the stories of the season in Italian rugby and has played a key role in some of Zebre’s more impressive performances. He is not dissimilar to Robshaw in style, but will deliver more in dynamic physical ability, particularly with ball in hand, where as the Englishman will rely on his stamina and work rate to outlast the Italian.

8. Sergio Parisse 8 vs Sam Simmonds 7.5

Parisse may not be the one-man army he used to be, but he’s still extremely valuable all over the park. Simmonds is capable of lighting this game up if England can get on the front-foot but that lack of experience just sees the Italian edge this one.

Totals

Italy – 101.5

England – 115.5