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Fissler Extra: RWC winner on URC shortlist, Italian eyed as Faf back-up
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Six Nations Preview: England vs Italy
England vs Italy at Twickenham
(Sunday, February 26, 11pm HKT)
The trip to Twickenham looks a lot like Mission: Impossible for Italy.
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What we can expect
Tries. Lots and lots of tries. Mostly English ones. Chances of Italy not recording their 75th Six Nations defeat? Zero.
England
Eddie Jones promised to shake up selection for this match against Italy – and he has made four changes. Ben Te’o is in the England starting line-up for the first time, while Danny Care replacing Ben Youngs. Jonny May gets the nod on the wing, while James Haskell replaces Jack Clifford in the back row. Dylan Hartley holds on to the captaincy, but Owen Farrell will lead the side out to mark his 50th England cap. The big surprise is the total absence of Anthony Watson.
Matchday 23: Brown, May, Te’o, Farrell, Daly, Ford, Care; Marler, Hartley, Cole, Launchbury, Lawes, Itoje, Haskell, Hughes Bench: George, Vunipola, Sinckler, Wood, Clifford, Youngs, Slade, Nowell
Italy
The Azzurri are on a hiding to nothing. After leaking 96 points in their opening two matches, they will have to regard an England score of anything less than 60 as a major improvement. Coach Conor O’Shea has made four changes to the starting line-up, with Tommasso Allan in the pivotal fly-half role, and Michele Campagnaro finally getting his chance to shine in midfield.
Matchday 23: Padovani, Bisegni, Campagnaro, McLean, Venditti, Allan, Gori; Lovotti, Ghiraldini, Cittadini, Fuser, Van Schalkwyk, Steyn, Favaro, Parisse (c) Bench: Gega, Rizzo, Ceccarelli, Biagi, Mbanda, Bronzini, Canna, Benvenuti
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All eyes on: Michele Campagnaro
After two weeks’ dutiful bench-warming duty, the Exeter Chiefs’ centre finally gets the start his talents deserve – though O’Shea has handed him something of a poison chalice. No one, not even the die-hardest Azzurri, expects anything other than a big England win at Headquarters.
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Key battle: Te’o and Farrell v Campagnaro and McLean
Italy will be out to test England’s latest new-look midfield partnership – but you’d expect Te’o and Farrell to be able handle anything Campagnaro and McLean could throw at them.
Prediction
Very big numbers. England by a cricket score.
