ENGLAND bored Italy to sleep – but boss Eddie Jones will be in dream land as they head to Japan. No major injuries, no huge statements sent around the world and just a feeling of job done after their fourth and final World Cup warm-up. They played like Newcastle United, no, not that one from […]
ENGLAND bored Italy to sleep – but boss Eddie Jones will be in dream land as they head to Japan.
No major injuries, no huge statements sent around the world and just a feeling of job done after their fourth and final World Cup warm-up.
They played like Newcastle United, no, not that one from their Premier League heyday.
Skipper and No10 Owen Farrell was even booed for kicking penalties at a sporting cathedral that has seen so much drama over the years – not this time though.
Sadly for the Toon, it was more like Steve Bruce’s Magpies than Kevin Keegan’s great entertainers of the 90s that ran out at St James’s Park.
England won’t care. They arrive in Tokyo on Monday and could be sweating on the fitness of lock Joe Launchbury who slumped off after 33 minutes with a back problem.
They also land in the middle of typhoon ‘Faxai’ that has been whipping up a frenzy with 100mph winds in the North Pacific.
The 15th tropical cyclone of the year is heading straight for the capital to great the World Cup wannabes.
And unlike this Test match, they will be looking to blow their opponents away on the pitch over the next two months as they chase their second Webb Ellis Trophy and first since 2003.
It wasn’t fast or furious like the locals wanted.
England struggled to get the fans going with the expectation that this was that this was going to be a try-fest.
So thank god Joe Marchant put an end to the Mexican Waves when he cut through the Italy defence to score in front of the Gallowgate End on his full debut.
Northerners have waited 10 years for a game away from fortress Twickenham.
Sadly it was the last one they would have wanted.
However, Jones had always said that he didn’t want any walkovers this summer.
England even trained with Italy at their Treviso base just last month, though – so they knew what to expect from Conor O’Shea’s Six Nations wooden-spoon specialists.
For all they lack in talent, The Azzurri make up for it in passion and fight, though one man they couldn’t beat up was Jonny May.
When Ben Youngs spotted a gap in the back field, May was there to rumble Jayden Hayward to spill it in the build-up play to Farrell’s opening penalty.
Like Saracens who lifted their third European Cup on this very turf at the end of last season, this England side love defending as much as they do ripping sides apart in attack.
So when Italy turned on the pressure, England soaked it up and had winger May to thank for a try-saving hit on centre Tommaso Benvenuti.
May was influential in the air again when it come to the build-up to the second Farrell penalty. In fact the Leicester Tigers man was often behind most of the good stuff created by England.
These are the kind of games that Jones expects against Tonga and USA at the start of the tournament – hard-fought arm-wrestles which are a bit gritty, mate.
The North East wanted to be entertained, but Farrell was jeered as he denied them that when he chose to kick his third penalty of a slow and sluggish opening half.
Boos returned as he missed his fourth from the tee just moments into the second half.
Finally they had something to cheer about when scrum-half Youngs scored from less than a yard as Italy went to sleep at the breakdown to give him the easiest of tap-ins before Marchant’s line-breaking score.
Regardless of how it looked, England arrive at the tournament battle-hardended and ready to go and Ellis Genge’s grunting try from the back of a maul proved it.
Anthony Watson also scored late to show their class and durability when it gets ugly.
Now England and their supporters will head to the Far East looking to deliver on Jones’ promise of becoming the best side on the planet at the final whistle of the World Cup final on November 2.
