England fans are losing their minds after conceding against Italy after two minutes
Rugby NewsSaturday, 13 February 2021 at 14:25
Italy smashed through England after just two minutes in the Six Ntions at Twickenham.
The visitors are playing with purpose and pace. Number eight Michele Lamaro pops the ball off the floor, Stephen Varney zips a pass out to Paolo Garbisi who attacks blind, and exploits a man overlap as Monty Ioane, nephew of Wallaby Digby, scampers into the corner.
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Woodward picks Sam Simmonds in his England XV
BACK-THREE:
- Fullback: Max Malins (Bristol Bears)
- Winger: Anthony Watson (Bath)
- Winger: Jonny May (Gloucester)
DID YOU KNOW? Anthony Watson started in all three tests for the Lions in 2017 and was one of the stars of the tour.
CENTRES:
- Outside-centre: Pier O'Conor (Bristol Bears)
- Inside-centre: Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Woodward said: "Max Malins and Piers O’Conor have been in excellent form for Bristol and have real gas. There is no substitute for it."
DID YOU KNOW? Slade has Type 1 diabetes, and often injects insulin at half-time in a game
HALFBACKS:
- Fly-half: Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
- Scrum-half: Harry Randall (Bristol Bears)
Woodward said: "Marcus Smith has the ability to terrify defences and is currently the best goal-kicker in world rugby. Trying to mark him and Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall would be a nightmare."
DID YOU KNOW? Smith was born in the Philippines to a British father and a Filipina mother
FRONT-ROW:
- Loosehead-prop: Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers)
- Hooker: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs)
- Tighthead-prop: Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins)
SECOND-ROW:
- Lock: Maro Itoje (Saracens)
- Lock: Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Woodward said: "I want Alex Dombrandt in my team for his ball-carrying, handling and try-scoring nous but I’m greedy, so I also want the sheer gas and dynamism of Sam Simmonds at No 8. So I’m asking Dombrandt to put his scrum cap on and move to lock."
DID YOU KNOW? So far in his rugby career, he has won four English Premiership titles with Saracens, three European Rugby Champions Cup titles, and three Six Nations Championship titles
BACK-ROW:
- Blindside-flanker: Jack Willis (Wasps)
- Openside-flanker: Tom Curry (Sale Sharks)
- Number 8: Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs)
Woodward said: "In the back row, it’s time for Tom Curry and Jack Willis to boss the breakdown. This England team need lightning-quick ball and will thrive on turnover possession."
DID YOU KNOW? Curry scored on his Aviva Premiership debut on 30 October 2016, becoming the third-youngest scorer in the competition
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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