England v Italy: Team line-ups, kick-off time, key quotes, predictions, odds and where to watch on TV

By Sporting Life

Rugby Union

Sun March 10, 2019 · 6y ago

Our guide to Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash between England and Italy includes team news, predictions, statistics and more.

Six Nations schedule, TV guide, results, table & history

What time is kick off & what channel is it on?

The match, which takes place at Twickenham, will start at 1645 GMT on Saturday March 9 and will be screened live on ITV 1.

England v Italy: Team news

England have selected a destructive centre partnership of Ben Te'o and Manu Tuilagi for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations match against Italy.

It is the first time the powerful carriers of Pacific Islands heritage have started together with Henry Slade dropping to the bench to accommodate Tuilagi's switch to 13 and Te'o's inclusion at inside centre.

And continuing the theme of a bulldozing backline - the biggest of the Eddie Jones era - is Joe Cokanasiga's inclusion on the right wing after Jack Nowell failed to recover from a shoulder injury.

Cokanasiga will win his fourth cap after making his Six Nations debut against Wales in Cardiff, deploying his 6'4'' and 18 stones frame outside a midfield duo that weigh in at a combined 34 stones.

The backline otherwise remains unchanged with Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell continuing at half-back in a selection that sees Dan Robson and George Ford overlooked once again.

In total there are five changes in personnel to the side dispatched 21-13 at the Principality Stadium on February 23, including Joe Launchbury's elevation to the starting XV after Maro Itoje lost his battle with a knee injury.

England: E Daly (Wasps); J Cokanasiga (Bath), M Tuilagi (Leicester), B Te'o (Worcester), J May (Leicester); O Farrell (Saracens, capt), B Youngs (Leicester); E Genge (Leicester), J George (Saracens), K Sinckler (Harlequins), J Launchbury (Wasps), G Kruis (Saracens), B Shields (Wasps), T Curry (Sale), B Vunipola (Saracens). Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter), B Moon (Exeter), D Cole (Leicester), N Hughes (Wasps), M Wilson (Newcastle), D Robson (Wasps), G Ford (Leicester), H Slade (Exeter).

Italy team: J Hayward (Benetton Rugby); E Padovani (Zebre Rugby Club), M Campagnaro (Wasps), L Morisi (Benetton Rugby), A Esposito (Benetton Rugby); T Allan (Benetton Rugby), T Tebaldi (Benetton Rugby), A Lovotti (Zebre Rugby Club), L Bigi (Benetton Rugby), S Ferrari (Benetton Rugby), F Ruzza (Benetton Rugby), D Budd (Benetton Rugby), S Negri (Benetton Rugby), B Steyn (Benetton Rugby), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt) Replacements: L Ghiraldini (Stade Toulousain), C Traore (Benetton Rugby), T Pasquali (Benetton Rugby), D Sisi (Zebre Rugby Club), J Polledri (Gloucester Rugby), G Palazzani (Zebre Rugby Club), I McKinley (Benetton Rugby), T Castello (Zebre Rugby Club).

England v Italy: Odds & advice

England are 1/250 - in other words, anything other than a win will go down as one of the biggest shocks in Six Nations, if not world rugby history.

They're asked to concede 35 points on the handicap, with Italy 10/11 granted that start or 33/1 for the win. Click here for all the odds.

Tony Calvin's verdict (click here for full preview)

"Italy were really very impressive in a 26-16 loss to Ireland in Rome, where scrum-half Tito Tebaldi made a big difference and they didn’t miss Sergio Parisse (who returns here) at all. That followed on from just an 11-point defeat against an admittedly second-string Wales, and some observers thought they were badly done to by the referee a fortnight ago, as well.

"Of course, those two games were in Rome, and they were lucky to get so close to Scotland at Murrayfield previously, winning the final 10 minutes of that game 17-0, but they have developed more of a cutting edge as the tournament has progressed.

"I can’t have Italy as 35-point underdogs, so that is where my money is going, though with the potential for an Italian blowout always present it's best not to go overboard."

England v Italy: Key quotes

Eddie Jones (England coach): "Italy are a bit of an unknown quantity but when Conor allows them to play rugby they play well.

"They have played terrific games in the Six Nations. They are fitter, physically stay in the contest a lot longer and they are quite unpredictable in the way they attack.

"We expect Italy to throw the ball around a bit so we are going to have to defend very well against their unpredictability and when we have got the ball, we have to use it wisely."

Conor O'Shea (Italy coach): ""This is an Italy team that's preparing to win. Everybody thinks we're delusional. But we're sports people, we're competitive people.

"I've said to the players I don't want them to even think about the result, their job is to deliver a performance of intensity, physicality and ambition.

"I'll say ambition 20 times because I want them to go out and play."