Malo Itoge fought back against critics of the English attack as he was looking for a strong finish for the Guinness Six Nations.
Steve Borthwick’s side remains in the title fight, but they sat in fourth at the Trice Scoring Table behind France, Ireland and Scotland, crossing just eight times in three games.
To reinvigorate his backline, Borthwick x Marcus Smith and Henry Slade set out for Elliot Daly and Fraser Dingwall, one of the five Northampton players behind the scrum.
The UK was booed early in the second half against Scotland two weeks ago as the box kicked. The 2003 World Cup winner won Greenwood amid those who criticised the lack of impact that took the ball.
“I don’t think our attack is as bad as everyone is saying,” Ito told reporters ahead of Sunday’s clash with Italy at Allianz Stadium.
“In our first match against Ireland, we scored three tries. In our second match against France we scored four. We obviously only scored one last time against Scotland, but that doesn’t reflect an attack that can’t start the engine.
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
England Lockmallotje said the victory was a proving for hard work ahead of time after a 26-25 victory over the talented French team.
“Don’t get me wrong, we want to improve. We want to make it better, but I don’t think we’re starting from a bad place.
“We need options on the line. We want to go to a place with space. We want 15 players to be completely involved in it. And we want to be brave and brave.”
Italy visited England on Sunday to seek their first victory in fixtures, losing all 31 previous encounters, and Azurli entered the match behind the scenes destroyed by France.
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
England’s Alex Mitchell and Fraser Dinwall respond to news that fullback Marcus Smith has been dropped due to upcoming Six Nations clashes
“This week is about taking a step forward,” Ito added. “In this competition, everyone is dangerous and everyone can cause team problems.
“The Italian game was a bit up and down, but it shows both sides. They showed that it could cause a lot of problems for the team and weren’t very happy with the outcome against France.
“We want to win. We want to win well. But to do that, we have to do all the tough things rugby needs. It’s not an easy game.”
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
Sky Sports’ Jack Wilkinson will look at the top five players who have wagered claims for the UK and Ireland’s Lions Tour in the summer after a performance in the third round of the 2025 Six Nations.
Curry dismisses criticism of English style
The two England victories combine a margin of two points, and while their rugby was often far from free flow, Tom Curry argues that it’s not fair to criticize the side for lack of talent.
“It’s a very opinionated way to put it, whether it’s fair or not,” Curry said. Sky Sports News. “You need to look at it objectively in that they are two different games, so that’s why there’s no comparison – it’s like comparing chalk and cheese. They’re almost two different sports.
Tom Curry will begin in the UK against the UK on Sunday
“Do we want to play better? Do we want to attack better? Absolutely. But do we want to say, ‘Should we do that like the Premiere?” No, we don’t work at all, but it’s exciting.
“This is one of the stepping stones. We’ve now gone from fall, when we lost our game from fall to where we’ve now won. The next step is to win them well, but it’s easier than I say.”
Heading towards this weekend’s 100th England cap, Jamie George added:
“I think there was more about us this week. Focusing on us, how can we put our game plan on the field, regardless of what the opposition is doing.
“We want to play a really good, vast, offensive game. I hope this weekend that’s what you see on Allianz.”
Sky Sports We will only showcase the 2025 British and Ireland Lions Tour, with all three tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches showing live only. Get Sky Sports or Now streaming without a contract.
