Thompson crosses for his try. (Getty Images)

By Andrew Baldock, PA Sport Rugby Union Correspondent

Josh Lewsey was the star as six-try England marched inexorably past Italy to what looks certain to be a RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam showdown against Ireland later this month.

The Wasps full-back stepped into the twinkling boots of injured Jason Robinson and turned in a spectacular man-of-the-match performance on his first international appearance at Twickenham.

Lewsey, the man who quit the Army 18 months ago to concentrate on top-class rugby, scored two tries - including one mesmerising strike from 60 metres which was straight out of the Robinson textbook of bewildering running.

But Lewsey apart, this was the most bizarre of England performances because the home side contrived to totally lose their momentum in a desperately disappointing second half.

England scored five tries in the first 21 minutes and then were unable to trouble the scoreboard for the next 49.

It was so frustrating that at one point coach Clive Woodward sat in the stand with his head in his hands as if wondering how all the brilliance could have dissipated so swiftly.

Part of the reason perhaps was in the six changes forced on the coach by injuries before the game and the fact that England were also forced to use all their seven replacements in a stop-start encounter played in a swirling Twickenham breeze.

Indeed, England used three fly-halves - new captain Jonny Wilkinson going off injured early in the second half only for replacement Charlie Hodgson to last a mere six minutes. They finished with Will Greenwood as a makeshift stand-off and with half the team who started the game back in the dressing room.

Still, it was England's 20th successive victory at Twickenham - and if they were far from impressive then at least they retain the capacity to win by considerable margins when not playing well, and such a quality should not be under-estimated.

The result had never been in doubt - the statistics before the game suggesting Italy, despite their victory against Wales in the first match of this championship, provided little more than a chance for England to test their attacking acumen after flawed performances against France and Wales.

The Italians had played at Twickenham on four previous occasions, conceding 237 points at an average of just under 60. They had never beaten England in eight attempts.

True, England were forced through injuries to make those six changes from the side which beat Wales in Cardiff a fortnight ago - but still when the whistle went there was a huge gulf in quality between the sides.

It took just two minutes and 20 seconds for that superiority to turn into points, England scrum-half Matt Dawson spinning out a swift pass from a ruck on the Italian line and the ball flying across the threequarters before Mike Tindall fed Lewsey in huge amounts of space. The Wasps fullback galloped in for his sixth international try on his first appearance in a white shirt at Twickenham.

The tone, it seemed, was set - and England proceeded to demonstrate the expansive rugby which Woodward believes is the only way to eclipse the southern hemisphere in their backyard at the World Cup next autumn.

With a shade over 20 minutes gone, the scoreboard read 33-0 to the home side. It has to be said at that point it was embarrassingly easy as every England thrust threatened to bring another try.

As it was hooker Steve Thompson and wing James Simpson-Daniel scored their first tries for their country, Mike Tindall crashed over in the corner and Lewsey scored his second touchdown after a mesmerising 60 metres run in which he turned Italian full-back Mirco Bergamasco inside out.

Out of those first five tries Lewsey had a hand in four, and Woodward must have been mentally juggling his threequarter options to find a way of incorporating both Lewsey and the injured Robinson in his future plans.

Woodward has mulled over the prospect of utilising the jinking running of Robinson at outside centre for some time, and Lewsey's explosion on to the international scene after six previous caps on overseas tours could provide the perfect opportunity.

To their credit, however, Italy managed to stem the England deluge of tries for the second part of the first half, at last discovering the pace of the game and causing England's organised defence - with Lawrence Dallaglio, Richard Hill and Joe Worsley superb - to step up their work rate.

Then England inexplicably went to sleep. True, they were disrupted by injuries with Wilkinson coming off on 48 minutes after being hurt in a tackle by flanker Andrea de Rossi.

It was the perfect opportunity, it seemed, for replacement Hodgson to demonstrate his skills - except that the Sale fly-half suffered an ankle injury himself within two minutes and was hobbling off after just six minutes on the field.

Greenwood took over at fly-half, with Leicester centre Ollie Smith coming on for his debut. To add to the confusion Mike Worsley of London Irish also came on to win his first cap, and Lewsey went off injured to be replaced by Kyran Bracken as Woodward used all his seven replacements. It was no wonder the stirring England enterprise of the first half was becalmed.

Indeed, at times it was Italy playing the most potent rugby, the blue shirts throwing the ball around with some style which led to a try for full-back Mirco Bergamasco. The match, however, had degenerated into a thoroughly disappointing spectacle - and the crowd had clearly lost interest, the Mexican Wave swirling around Twickenham as the fans strove for something to cheer.

The obligatory streaker perhaps brought the loudest cheer of the afternoon, and the thoughts of Woodward were obvious when he failed to recognise the 70th-minute touchdown of Dan Luger.

The England coach sat motionless in his seat, head in his hands, as if he could not bring himself to cheer such a dispiriting second-half display.

He knows, however, that the bottom line will come against Ireland in Dublin in three weeks' time.

Triumph will mean a Grand Slam collected there - and the second half here will be swiftly forgotten.

For now he should just thank heavens for the spark of Lewsey.

Teams:

England: Lewsey, Simpson-Daniel, Greenwood, Tindall, Luger, Wilkinson, Dawson, Rowntree, Thompson, Morris, Grewcock, Kay, J. Worsley, Hill, Dallaglio, Hodgson.

Replacements: Bracken for Lewsey (73), Hodgson for Wilkinson (47), Regan for Thompson (67), M. Worsley for Morris (64), Shaw for Kay (58), Sanderson for Hill (67), Smith for Hodgson (52).

Tries: Lewsey 2, Thompson, Simpson-Daniel, Tindall, Luger.

Cons: Wilkinson 4, Dawson

Italy: M. Bergamasco, Mazzucato, Vaccari, Raineri, Dallan, Pez, Troncon, De Carli, Festuccia, Martinez, Bezzi, Giacheri, De Rossi, Persico, Phillips.

Replacements: Peens for Vaccari (65), Mazzantini for Troncon (70), Ongaro for Festuccia (74).

Not Used: Castrogiovanni, Bortolami, Palmer, Masi.

Att: 76,000

Ref: Alain Rolland (Ireland).