England vs Italy
England will be looking to bounce back from their opening round defeat when they take on the ever improving Italy at Twickenham. Steve Borthwick had no dream start as new England boss as his charges went down to a Duhan Van der Merwe inspired Scotland. Italy on the other hand can only imagine how things could have turned out in their last match against France as they went down 29-24. They looked excellent in attack led by the World Breakthrough player of the year Ange Capuozzo. His an absolute menace with ball in hand but it’s his aerial skills that will be severely tested in this match.
TIP: England management have responded to the defeat by making wholesale changes to the backline that include a new midfield combination and the dropping of Marcus Smith to the bench. Owen Farrell is back in his favourite 10 jersey while Italy have only made one change to their team. The match will be decided by the forwards and England seems to have a slight edge in this department. The bookies have England as favourites and I’m also tipping them for the win. The best odds on this bet are as follows: Betway 1.06, Gbets 1.05 and Hollywoodbets 1.06
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
England vs Italy
- England have never lost to Italy in the Six Nations.
- Italy have lost by more than 20 points in their last 10 matches against England.
Latest results for both teams
England lost 29-23 to Scotland in their last match while Italy lost 29-24 to France in their last match.
PREDICTION
England will be looking to a much improved effort in attack and even more so in defence. They have gone for an explosive looking bench with players like Smith and Ben Earl. Italy will need to be weary of this and will need to start the match in much better fashion than against France. Both teams will need to be more disciplined as penalties cost them dearly in round one. The visitors were so often bullied in their forward pack in past seasons but they have certainly toughened up in this department and they more than held their own against France. England will need to be more clinical in possession and if they are able to do this then I predict an England win by 8 points
Probable Starting XVs
England
15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Alex Dombrandt, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Italy
15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Edoardo Padovani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Tommaso Menoncello, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo’ Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giamoco Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Odds for this bet
The best odds on the England victory are as follows:
Betway 1.06
Gbets 1.05
Hollywoodbets 1.06
Odds comparison on the Italy handicap:
The complete odds on the Italy handicap:
Betway 1.85 (+18.5)
Gbets 1.88 (+18.5)
Hollywoodbets1.90 (+18.5)
Predictions and Odds in details
There are poor returns on the England outright win therefore we suggest the away team on the handicap. The best odds on this bet are as follows Betway 1.85 (+18.5), Gbets 1.88 (+18.5) and Hollywoodbets1.90 (+18.5)
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
