England 20 Italy 7:Rob Andrew, the Rugby Football Union's director of elite rugby, will renew his efforts today to ensure England's leading players sit out this weekend's Premiership games prior to their next Six Nations fixture, in Dublin.
To judge from Saturday's stodgy pudding of a spectacle one or two of Brian Ashton's key men could do with more game-time rather than less. Andrew, though, says England will be at "a massive disadvantage" unless a deal is agreed to spare the starting XV from representing their clubs only six days before Croke Park.
"Ireland will have two weeks' preparation for the game in Dublin. If most of our players are involved on Sunday, it'll realistically give us just one day to prepare," he warned.
It is a familiar tug-of-war that Andrew, as a former director of rugby at Newcastle, has now experienced from both sides. Imagine being a Falcons supporter who has not seen Jonny Wilkinson play for his club since early November.
Andrew is not optimistic - "I'd be very surprised if we get a collective agreement".
Yet Ireland might be among those hoping Andrew's cotton-wool request is granted. As Ashton admitted afterwards, too many of his tactical generals "got it wrong" in their obsessive quest for field position. In sending them back out this weekend to readjust their tactical antennae, their clubs might be doing the national side a favour.
As the RFU prepares today to flesh out its "Way Forward" findings in the continuing effort to improve the English structure, Saturday was a half-step backwards from the previous week's Scotland victory.
Ashton is big on forward dynamism, back-line shape and collective vision and could not hide his disappointment England struggled in all three categories, kicking too much and failing to vary the point of attack. They were stuck in blunt-blunderbuss mode, any enterprise suffocated by Italy's powerful forwards and scrumhalf Alessandro Troncon.
"On both sides, apart from Troncon's box-kicking, the kicking was sub-standard," said Ashton. "Maybe I overemphasised the importance of field position during the week. I was disappointed and I think the playmakers were too."
It was hard to disagree with Ashton's view his side will have to be "100 per cent smarter to beat Ireland". Only when Italy captain Marco Bortolami was sin-binned just before half-time did the visiting defence crack, a neat midfield flick from Josh Lewsey setting up Jason Robinson for his third try in two matches since returning. Otherwise, for all the defiance of the Italian pack, it was a largely colourless occasion.
A try by Andrea Scanavacca, who sneaked through a gaping hole after 64 minutes, was no less than the visitors deserved.
ENGLAND: Balshaw; Lewsey, Tindall, Farrell, Robinson; Wilkinson, Ellis; Freshwater, Chuter, Vickery (capt); Deacon, Grewcock; Easter, Lund, Corry. Replacements: Tait for Balshaw (37 mins), Flood for Tindall (66 mins), White for Freshwater, Palmer for Grewcock, Mears for Chuter (all 69 mins), Rees for Easter (75 mins).
ITALY: De Marigny; Robertson, Canale, Mirco Bergamasco, Dallan; Scanavacca, Troncon; Lo Cicero, Festuccia, Castrogiovanni; Dellape, Bortolami (capt); Sole, Zaffiri, Parisse. Replacements: Pratichetti for Dallan (26 mins), Perugini for Lo Cicero (57 mins), Bernabo for Dellape (69 mins), Mandelli for Zaffiri (75 mins).
Referee: N Owens (Wales).
Guardian Service
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