There was a shock injury after just eight minutes, as England midfielder Ollie Lawrence went down suddenly during an attacking move.
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The Bath man was not injured by any clash in contact, despite how the hard-hitting centre favours the crash of a carry. Lawrence went down untouched, and was visibly in pain as he received an assortment of medical attention.
Lawrence made way for Marcus Smith upon his exit, with the Harlequin flung into the fray at fullback. The back-line was shuffled about to move the versatile multi-tool Elliot Daly in to the midfield, with Smith taking the lead across the England back-three.
Lawrence was later shown on the Allianz Stadium big screens sat rather dejected on the substitutes bench, with a medical boot emphasising the severity of the Achilles injury.
England head coach Steve Borthwick addressed the injury after the match: “It’s an Achilles injury that,we’ll know more in the next 48 hours when he gets the scans and sees a specialist.
Fingers crossed it’s not quite as severe as we fear it might be. He’ll get the very, very best care. He’ll see the very, very best people to be looked after.”
All will be revealed by the official England channels in due time, yet you could make the assumption that Lawrence has had his last involvement for the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations
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England Player Ratings vs Italy: 2025 Six Nations
1. Ellis Genge 6.5
Genge started off his day with a full head of steam, charging onto short and sharp carries. He set a solid scrummaging foundation alongside Jamie George and Will Stuart, while also making low chop tackles. Genge’s temper flared after being tackled off the ball at the 37th minute, with the Allianz faithful getting an earful of his Bristolian accent.
2. Jamie George 7
The centurion had strong tackles early on and rose to the occasion on his 100th Test. George steered the ship with great line-out accuracy and scrummaging success. He received a resounding ovation when replaced and played a neat offload to set up Sleightholme for England’s Pacific Island-style score.
3. Will Stuart 6.5
Stuart made an early hit on Ange Capuozzo and set a solid foundation for England’s maul dominance. Though not in the spotlight as the backs took centre stage, he made a nice side-step leading to Marcus Smith’s try.
4. Maro Itoje 8
Itoje was ever-present as England’s on-point line-out marksman. He had a penalty conceded in the 22nd minute but played a key role in directing Fin Smith to kick for the corner. Itoje’s drive was held up after the rolling maul, but he played a lovely offload in the build-up to Sleightholme’s second try.
5. Ollie Chessum 8.5
Chessum called the defensive line-speed and showed excellent defensive acumen, making repeated appearances in the contact area. He ran the lead in an awesome trick play that led to Itoje’s held-up effort at the 25th minute. In the second half, he stole a line-out and broke away downfield, earning Player of the Match for his exhaustive effort.
6. Tom Curry 7.5
The ever-present tackler, Curry doubled up on defensive efforts. He scored from close range early in the second half after his twin, Ben, was stopped just short. Despite receiving medical attention, Curry muscled on when Ben Earl was withdrawn and was involved in England’s brilliant Baa-Baas-style score.
7. Ben Earl 7
Earl was pinged for not releasing at the ruck in the 2nd minute despite protests about Italian defenders being off their feet. He fumbled the ball from the back of the line-out after Chessum’s steal but rallied back with tremendous work off the ball, making several big hits. He limped off at the 50th minute, not having his best match by his usual high standards.
The back row finished off England’s afternoon with a well taken try at the death.
8. Tom Willis 7
Willis scored England’s first try with a nice carry from close range and extended his arm to ground the ball. He also started the move after a hit on the Italian nine caused a turnover. Would have been nice to see him on the field longer after such a hot start.
