England v Italy: Team news, predictions, odds & TV time


Our preview pack for Sunday's RBS 6 Nations clash between England and Italy includes team news, predictions, statistics and more.

England host Italy in the RBS 6 Nations on Sunday February 26, with the match kicking off at 1500 GMT at Twickenham and screened live on ITV.

Here is our preview pack, which includes the team news, quotes from coaches, key facts, the latest Sky Bet odds and the thoughts of our Steve Bramley to help you with your bets.

You can also click here for all the Six Nations fixtures, results, standings, TV guide, team-by-team standings and historical statistics.

England v Italy: Latest Team news

Ben Te'o will start a Test for the first time after being named at outside centre for England's RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy at Twickenham on Sunday. Te'o replaces Jonathan Joseph, who has been omitted from the matchday 23, to form a new-look centre partnership with Owen Farrell after winning all five of his previous caps off the bench.

George Ford continues to pull the strings at fly-half but he starts alongside a new half-back partner in Danny Care, who has swapped places with Ben Youngs. The two remaining changes to the team that toppled Wales 21-16 in Cardiff see Jonny May restored to the right wing, forcing Jack Nowell on to the bench, and James Haskell return at openside.

It will be Haskell's first start since last summer's triumphant tour to Australia after a seven-month absence because of foot surgery. Henry Slade makes an appearance on the bench where he offers midfield cover, but there is no place among the 23 for Anthony Watson despite his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Italy have made four changes to the team thrashed by Ireland. Head coach Conor O'Shea's side were thumped 63-10 by Ireland in Rome last time out, coming on the back of a 33-7 home loss to Wales on the tournament's opening weekend. Three of the changes come in the backs with Tommaso Allan replacing Carlo Canna at fly-half, Michele Campagnaro coming in for Tommaso Benvenuti at outside centre and Giulio Bisegni taking over from Angelo Esposito on the right wing. 

The other alteration comes in the back row where Braam Steyn replaces Maxime Mbanda at blindside flanker. Canna, Benvenuti and Mbanda are on the bench where both props are switched. Michele Rizzo replaced the injured Dario Chistolini in Italy's squad earlier this week and will provide loosehead cover, while Pietro Ceccarelli is also included. Esposito misses out altogether on the matchday squad. 

Teams:

England: M Brown (Harlequins); J May (Gloucester), B Te'o (Worcester), O Farrell (Saracens), E Daly (Wasps); G Ford (Bath), D Care (Harlequins); J Marler (Harlequins), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton), M Itoje (Saracens), J Haskell (Wasps), N Hughes (Wasps).

Replacements: J George (Saracens), M Vunipola (Saracens), K Sinckler (Harlequins), T Wood (Northampton), J Clifford (Harlequins), B Youngs (Leicester), H Slade (Exeter), J Nowell (Exeter). 

Italy:  Edoardo Padovani, Giulio Bisegni (both Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Exeter), Luke McLean (Treviso), Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre), Tommaso Allan, Edoardo Gori (both Treviso), Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Toulouse), Lorenzo Cittadini (Bayonne), Marco Fuser (Treviso), Dries Van Schalkwyk (Zebre), Braam Steyn (Treviso), Simone Favaro (Glasgow), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).

Replacements: Ornel Gega (Treviso), Michele Rizzo (Leicester), Pietro Ceccarelli, George Biagi, Maxime Mbanda (all Zebre), Giorgio Bronzini (Treviso), Carlo Canna (Zebre), Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso). 

England v Italy: Odds & advice

England are 1/500 favourites with Sky Bet to make it three wins out of three when they host Italy, who can be backed at 33/1 to cause a massive upset. The latter are on offer at even-money with a whopping 42-point start on the handicap, with the visitors available at just 11/2 to win to nil.

Click here to check out all of Sky Bet's odds!

Our Steve Bramley writes: England have been well below their best in their opening two Six Nations matches but still head into Sunday’s clash with Italy with 100 per cent record.

Eddie’s Jones’ team scraped home against France and then punished Wales with a late Elliot Daly try in Cardiff.

It’s been a far from impressive but crucially, and clinically, England have found a way to win and now have back-to-back Grand Slams in their sights.

England (1/100) will get the chance to put things right against the beleaguered Italians at Twickenham – a side they have beaten in all 17 of their previous Six Nations meetings and scoring 40+ points in each of their last three clashes.

As a result Italy, 50/1 shots for the upset of all upsets, are given a 42-point start at 10/11 and after the way they caved in against Ireland at the Stadio Olimpico two weeks ago, conceding nine tries, that might not be enough.

I’ve studied the handicap markets and can’t see any value unless you look beyond 55 points but I’m not expecting things to be so easy for England and think we’ll see a much more determined and committed Italy on Sunday. 

Since that defeat to Ireland the Azzurri have come in for a barrage of criticism about their ability to compete in the Championship and I’m certain they will give everything and make things difficult for the hosts.

But ultimately it is England who will be celebrating a 17 successive Test win come Sunday evening so are there any of the other markets they could tempt a bet.

Bath’s Jonathan Joseph scored a hat-trick in the fixture last season and two tries in the 47-17 win the last time the sides met at Twickenham, but to underline the riches available to Eddie Jones he doesn’t even make the match-day squad.

One man I’m happy to put up is Elliot Daly. The Wasps flier has finished on the winning side in all ten of his England appearances and looks to have come of age this season impressing in the win against France and then rescuing his side in Cardiff with his late try. He should get plenty of ball against Italy and looks a decent bet a 11/2 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power) to cross first and 11/10 (Sky Bet) to score two or more tries.

It's also well worth a small investment on the 11/2 (Sky Bet) about Owen Farrell celebrating his 50th cap with a couple of tries. He is the heartbeat of this England team and crossed against Italy in 2014 and 2016 and with Joseph dropped in favour of Ben Te’o (10/1 first try) could find more opportunities to make his mark.

I’d also consider some try scorer specials including the likes of Daly, Mike Brown and Jonny May all to cross.

Suggestions:

Elliot Daly to score the first try

Owen Farrell to score two or more tries

England v Italy: Key quotes

Eddie Jones on Ben Te'o and his team selection: "Ben Te'o at 13 gives us another way of playing the game and we are excited about seeing him, George Ford and Owen Farrell play together in the midfield."

"Ben Youngs has been outstanding for us at number nine, but Danny Care gets the starting jersey this week. For the first half he'll give us a lot of speed and running at the base of the ruck as well as the scrum. Ben will then come on and finish the game.

"Tom Wood has been great for us at seven and Jack Clifford did well against Wales but James Haskell has the starting role on Sunday. James has come back to a much better level of fitness and we are sure his explosive actions will help us in the first part of the game."

On opponents Italy: "It is an important Test match for us and our only consideration is to play well. Italy have a proud record in Test rugby, they beat South Africa in November, and we will not underestimate them."

On Owen Farrell reaching 50 caps: "I know the Twickenham crowd will give Owen Farrell a big cheer. To reach 50 caps at such a young age is a fine achievement. The one thing I know about Owen is that his next 50 are going to be more impressive than his first."

Owen Farrell on his place in the England side: "I don't think you ever feel comfortable and I don't think that anyone here would tell you that they feel comfortable.

"And that's the way it should be, because there has to be a drive to constantly improve. I've not thought about winning the 50th cap too much. I need to get picked first and have a good week. The thing here is that it's all about getting better and I go on about it, but that's all I concentrate on."

On his improvements over the years: "I hope I have improved a lot and have come a long way since my debut. It was all right - there were quite a few new caps at the same time as me so there were a few of us in the same position. Of course I was nervous. You probably build it up into something that it is not. It is another game, but you are going into the unknown."

"The more aware you are of things, the more control you can have. It's not something you can really work too hard on. I guess you can have an awareness of it and therefore be more in control of it."

Jonny May on Elliot Daly bouncing back from his red card last year: "I'm pleased that that wasn't held against him because he's come back and showed that he deserves to be where he is because he's playing really well.

"The France game was the one where we weren't at our best and I got a yellow card which didn't help me. Who knows if the card played a part (in selection)? We always get judged on what we do out on the pitch and that's a negative impact on the game.

"It wasn't a great start to the game for me but I came back on and worked as hard as I could to have a positive impact on the game. That's all you can do on the wing, is do what you can with what you get. I tried my best."

England are unconcerned by the inside knowledge acquired by Italy's coaching team as they seek to claim a 17th successive victory in Sunday's RBS 6 Nations clash at Twickenham.

Mike Brown on Mike Catt's Twickenham return with Italy: "Mike (Catt) was with England but we play and train a different way. There is enough variability there for change. Mike is a really nice guy and we got on really well personally and it will be great on a personal level to catch up with him. I had a few texts from him around my 50th cap. He was kind enough to text me congratulations and to see how I was.

"He even sent me a bottle of champagne after the game to my hotel room which was really nice. It shows what type of bloke he is, the fact he remembered. I think this England team is different now, but he might have taken stuff away. We'll find out on Sunday. I'm not sure what he'll be implementing with Italy. He's their attack coach so he's probably got a few more of his own ideas."

Conor O'Shea on scrutiny of Italy's place in the RBS 6 Nations: "Italy has earned the right to be in the Six Nations because they've had some massive wins against top tier nations as well as bad days.

"I think it's sad when I look at the Romania of the 1970 and 80s and see what they were allowed to become. Look at Scotland beating Wales today (Saturday). Would you have said five years ago they'd be in the position of beating Ireland and Wales? They've been through a real struggle but are now coming out of the other side.

"We need the game to grow and expand. If we don't expand the game, we'll kill it because there will only be three or four sides left. We shouldn't be reducing the game, it's not as if we have a million countries playing rugby. If we don't expand, we'll be passing on a terrible game to our kids.

"It's brilliant what Georgia are doing, but it baffles me when people want to contract the game. It's frustrating to hear people talk about relegation when our job should be to make Italian rugby strong. We need support at a difficult time."

England v Italy: Opta Facts

England have won each of the 17 previous encounters between these teams in the Six Nations and indeed 22 out of 22 in all competitions. 

England have won those 17 Six Nations games by an average margin of 28 points, scoring 40+ points in each of their last three clashes.

England have conceded an average of just three first half points across their last seven home games against Italy. 

England are looking for a 10th consecutive Six Nations win, which would equal the tournament record set by them twice before (1882 to 1886 and 1922 to 1925). 

Italy have lost 40 of their 43 previous away games in the Six Nations (W2, D1), with those two wins both coming at Murrayfield (draw v Wales in 2006). 

The Azzurri have scored at least one try in all 13 Test matches they have played against England at Twickenham, although they have lost all 13 of those games (including game against England B). 

England’s winning streak currently stands at 16 games, New Zealand (3 times) and South Africa (once) are the only Tier One sides to enjoy longer runs. England are only two shy of becoming the first team to score 250 Six Nations tries, while their five tries per game against Italy are their most against any Six Nations opponent. 

Owen Farrell will win his 50th cap for England in this match; Jonny Wilkinson is the only other England player to reach 50 caps before turning 26.

England v Italy: Last four meetings

2016: Italy 9-40 England, Rome
2015: England 47-17 Italy, Twickenham
2014: Italy 11-52 England, Rome
2013: England 18-11 Italy, Twickenham

England v Italy: Six Nations so far

Round One

England 19-16 France (Twickenham)
Italy 7-33 Wales (Stadio Olimico) 

Round Two

Wales 16-21 England (Principality Stadium)
Italy 10-63 Ireland (Stadio Olimico)

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