"Garbisi vs Ford" - 3 Key Battles: Italy vs England 2024 Six Nations

Both Italy and England will be without two talismanic talents, as Marcus Smith and Ange Capuozzo have been ruled out of the match. Smith's Six Nations looks in jeopardy, as the Harlequin hobbled out of England's training camp on crutches, whilst Capuozzo misses the opening round with a reported illness.

Despite the unavailabilities, there are plenty of top players set to light up the Italian capital this afternoon for both nations. Here we take a look along three key battles, that could well play out to be decisive in this afternoon's match.

With Marcus Smith out of the picture for the foreseeable future, England head coach Steve Borthwick has named tried and tested fly half George Ford to lead from the off. England fans are clambering to see the debut of thrilling Northampton Saints halfback Fin Smith, and the 21-year-old takes up the 22 jersey amongst the England replacements.

Ford presents a calm head, that can weather through the initial onslaught of the intense Azzurri atmosphere. The fiery fanbase will be rallying their boys in blue, yet the Sale Sharks man is more than capable of dictating the play, and not reacting to the high stakes of the match. Borthwick's decision to start Ford is an understandable one, yet should the fly half lead England to a comfortable lead with his immaculate goal kicking, expect Fin Smith to make his debut, and receive a roar of support from the travelling fans.

Opposing Ford at kick off is Montpellier's Paolo Garbisi, who could well be on his way to the Premiership following recent reports. The enigmatic halfback is rumoured to be on his way to Saracens, with his name thrown into the ring of potential candidates to replace Owen Farrell next season. Garbisi is an animated character that is thrilling to watch, he carries the ball high to the line and feeds through his supporting carries with the most delicate of passes.

Garbisi is also bruising in the carry, and is amongst the strongest of the Six Nations fly halves when going alone into contact. This technical prowess coupled with an unrelenting passion for his country, makes Garbisi at times unplayable, and amongst the top threats for England to keep they eye on.

Our second key battle comes in the back row, with the duelling pairs of flankers set for Colosseum-worthy collision in the Eternal City. Beginning with the English back-row, and we see a debutant in Exeter Chiefs blindside flanker Ethan Roots. The New Zealand-born heavy hitter is an exciting addition to Steve Borthwick's squad, and has been making a name for himself with battering collisions down in Devon.

Partnering Roots is Sam Underhill, who is once again a starting feature of the England squad after his cameo appearence in the Rugby World Cup. Underhill was drafted in at the very last moment, to replace an injured Jack Willis for the bronze medal match against Argentina. However, with Willis extending his time out in Toulouse, he forfeits his spot in the England squad with Underhill more than happy to return. The Bath battering ram had formed the revered 'Under-Curry' partnership with Tom Curry, yet will partner with Roots for the first time in his career.

Opposing the newly formed England flank partners, are two Italian back-rowers who know each-other to a telepathic extent. Sebastian Negri and his captain Michele Lamaro are seemingly irreplaceable at the sides of the Italian scrum, and often end their matches atop of their tackle charts. Lamaro packs an added punch and attacking flair on the offensive foot, whilst Negri's no-nonsense defence and immense work rate complements his teammate to form the perfect partnership. Negri and Lamaro are certainly the more experienced of the flankers, and this factor could well play into Italian hands should Roots or Underhill loose their cool.

Our third pick for a key battle is in the fifteen jersey, with Tommaso Allan set to go toe-to-toe with Freddie Steward. Both men are masterful under the high ball and lift their fans off their feet when they return a down-field kick. Steward edges out Allan in his kick-return proficiency, yet Allan's boot packs an extra punt than the Leicester Tigers fullback.

Steward is firmly back in the England fold after a mixed bag at the Rugby World Cup. Having battled against Marcus Smith for his starting fullback spot, Steward now stands relatively alone as the specialist fullback option. With Smith back to fly half in Farrell's vacancy, and now away due to injury, the pressure is on Steward to keep fit for an expected extended run throughout the Six Nations. Elliot Daly presents a viable coverage option, yet the Saracen Swiss army-knife has been picked to start on the left wing against the Azzurri.

Former Harlequin Tomasso Allan will be well known to fans of the Premiership, with the versatile playmaker able to cover both fullback and fly half. Allan ran out in the 10 jersey in Garbisi's absence throughout the Rugby World Cup, yet returns to the back-field in what is arguably his stronger position. An excellent reader of the game, Allan scans and adapts to his surroundings, and is amongst the Italians most commanding back-line players. An inteligent rugby player with an explosive first step, the Perpignan man should be on England fans radars for this match.