Steve Borthwick’s side offered glimpses of a more expansive style against Italy before reverting to type in the second half
Are you not entertained? Maybe a bit amused before a dulling, familiar sense of ennui set in? Mildly intrigued, with a big dollop of feeling like we have been here before, is perhaps the best way to sum up an England performance that left them scoring fewer than 30 points against Italy for the first time in 11 years, but left you clinging to the odd flicker they were able to produce before curbing their enthusiasm and numbing that of the supporters they so want to connect with.
The bar is pretty low when a willingness to pass, to avoid kicking the ball at every opportunity, to avoid a performance that is gutsy, defiant and all the other words to describe things that should be prerequisites at this level, is noteworthy. But there was something a little different to England in the odd spell here. Something that made you raise the eyebrow every now and then.
