England centre Ollie Lawrence has gone viral this morning after giving his man of the match medal to his Mum in the crowd.
The powerhouse centre was the star man as England dismantled a disappointing Italy to give the Steve Borthwick era lift off with a 31-14 Guinness Six Nations victory at Twickenham.
Lawrence was brought in to the XV add more penetration from centres and did just that, showcasing his physicality and explosiveness.
With 11 sublime carries for over 80 metres, there is finally a viable replacement for Manu Tuilagi.
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Three England changes Steve Borthwick ‘should’ make for Wales clash
With still work to do for the New England boss, we look at three changes he could make to face Wales in a fortnight’s time.
Borthwick’s men travel to Cardiff in their next game on 25 February, after next weekend’s break, as the Azzurri host world number one side Ireland earlier on the same day.
POSSIBLE ENGLAND CHANGES:
#1. Marcus Smith for Owen Farrell
RUCK 6/10: “There was a lot of kicking from the England 10 and not much of it was good; either from hand or the tee. However, his overall performance improved significantly when he played in his preferred position.”
Andy Goode wrote on Twitter: “Steve Borthwick talks relentlessly about excitement and exciting the crowd, there’s zero excitement at Twickers Borthers, get Marcus Smith on please.”
Planet Rugby 5/10: “Relished being in the driving seat as he backed his team-mates regularly early on, going to the corner which paid off in tries. Perhaps over-kicked in the red zone as the jury remains out on who should start at fly-half.”
Mail Online 6/10: “Looked comfortable at No 10 but kicking stunted attacks in the second half. Goal kicking must improve.”