England are looking to rebuild from the ruins of their failed Six Nations title bid when they meet Italy on Saturday.
Here, we look at five talking points heading into the round-four meeting at a sold-out Stadio Olimpico.
Moment of truth
Italy have never been better equipped to claim a first victory in the fixture at the 33rd time of asking – and England know it. Jamie George and Ben Earl have been among the players to acknowledge that the Azzurri are stronger than at any time in their Championship history and what was traditionally a routine assignment now has all the making of a Roman ambush. Following emphatic losses to Scotland and Ireland, the stakes are high given England have never finished a Six Nations with just one win, the prospect that awaits them if they fall in the Italian capital given they face Grand Slam-chasing France a week later.
Borthwick’s line in the sand
Several 2003 World Cup winners, double Winter Olympic gold medallist Matt Weston and England football boss Thomas Tuchel have all visited England’s Surrey base since Scotland and Ireland crushed their title aspirations, each providing inspiration through their own stories. But it is the public and private rebuke from Steve Borthwick, combined with the sweeping changes made by the head coach, that will focus English minds on what is required at the Stadio Olimpico. Borthwick declared that standards he considers “unwavering” have not been met and has demanded a reaction.
All change
Unprecedented for an England boss in the Six Nations, Borthwick has made nine changes in personnel and three positional switches. The overhaul concentrates on the backline where only Tommy Freeman survives from the 42-21 mauling by Ireland and even he changes position from wing to outside centre. Fin Smith has been reinstated at fly-half in his first Test start since the autumn and there is a revamped midfield combination in Seb Atkinson and Freeman. The sheer scale of the transformation is a roll of the dice from Borthwick, whose judgement as a selector is on the line.
Smith’s time to shine
An important afternoon awaits Smith, the Northampton playmaker whose fortunes nosedived after the British and Irish Lions tour. Having failed to make an impact in Australia, he then lost his England place to George Ford who starred for England across two Tests in Argentina in his absence. Ford’s destiny seemed to be as the team’s chief conductor for the 2027 World Cup but following his difficulties against Ireland, the number 10 jersey has become a blank canvas with Marcus Smith completing the trio of contenders for the position.
Brexoncello reunited
England’s untried centre partnership of Atkinson and Freeman face a mammoth task – shackling arguably the finest midfield in the game dubbed ‘Brexoncello’. Juan Ignacio Brex has returned from the family problems that forced him to miss the losses to Ireland and France to be reunited with Tommaso Menoncello and the duo will be ready to exploit their opponents’ inexperience. It is a combination that has been forged across years playing for Benetton and Italy and they dovetail beautifully with Brex’s shorts passes finding a devastating outlet in the rampaging Menoncello.