Eddie Jones’s new combination of players will need to make a statement against
Italy to secure their
England futures
There may be bigger collisions to come in this Six Nations but this weekend’s Italian
Job holds plenty of significance for several individuals on England’s teamsheet. Fail to “light up Rome” as Eddie Jones has been repeatedly urging and the head coach may just consider pulling the plug on some Test careers. Shine in a ruthless all-round performance, on the other hand, and a brighter future may well beckon.
Few would have predicted this reshuffled England combination even a fortnight ago and it feels like an appropriately thumbs up/down moment for certain players. Will Stuart, Charlie Ewels, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, Joe Marchant and the fit-again Jack Nowell, plus the uncapped replacement Ollie Chessum, will all feel that this is an opportunity they badly need to take.