9. Alex Mitchell – 7.25
Quick ball was distributed as per, with Alex Mitchell kicking into his grove as England’s first choice scrum half. The Northampton man linked up seamlessly with George Ford, and transferred his telepathic connection to Fin Smith, when his Saints teammate debuted off the bench. Good to see him rewarded with a try, as he caught the Italians sleeping.
1. Joe Marler – 7
A strong performance from Marler, who is entering the Danny Care relms of ageing like a fine wine. Marler remains amongst the world’s best on the loose-head of the scrum, yet England fans didn’t get their usual serving of heavy carries from the Harlequins prop. High quality at the chop tackle and in overall defence, in what is an underrated area of Marler’s game.
2. Jamie George – captain – 7
Tasked today with his first run as England captain, Jamie George led his side well and avoided what would have been a history making upset defeat. The Saracen was solid around the park, despite some unexpected question marks coming at the line-out. The top man for England in defence, as he made 10 tackles overall.
3. Will Stuart – 6
A middle of the road performance for the Bath tight-head, who would have wanted to showcase his talents better this afternoon in Rome. Stuart did carry on a handful of occassions, yet did not reach the heights that have since pushed Kyle Sinckler out of the squad.
4. Maro Itoje – vice captain – 7
Stepping up as ever, and rising to the big moments. Re-kindled his lock partnership with Ollie Chessum in the England engine room. Lost the battle in the air on one occassion, but made up for the error with a key turnover close to the England try-line.
5. Ollie Chessum – 6.5
Here’s hoping that Ollie Chessum makes a swift return, as he was seen limping off in way for Alex Coles as the match entered it’s final 10 minutes. Chessum was firing hot around the park in the early goings, yet will be disappointed to have missed three tackles in this match.
6. Ethan Roots – 8
The man of the match on the day, Exeter Chiefs back-row Ethan Roots could not have dreamt up a better international debut. A strong all round performance, with his physicality showcased in the ruck and collision. Roots made a key carry on the run up to Daly’s try, and also excelled in the air at line-out time.