Six Nations: England 59-13 Italy - as it happened

Good afternoon , and welcome to our coverage of this Six Nations second round clash between England and Italy at Twickenham. England got their campaign off to a winning start last week with a win over Wales in Cardiff that was more emphatic than the scoreline suggests, while Italy will be hoping to build on a promising, but ultimately soul-crushing last-gasp defeat at the hands of Ireland in Rome. The inclusion of London Irish prop Alex Corbisiero, a tighthead of Neapolitan roots, in England's front row in place of the injured Andrew Sheridan is the only change from the England starting XV that lined up against Wales and the 22-year-old will endure a baptism of fire against an Italian front row that made mincemeat of their Irish counterparts this day last week. Corbisero will go head to head against Martin Castrogiovanni, who will be relishing the prospect of scrumming down against the debutant. Italy coach Nick Mallett Nick Mallett has made four changes to the side that came so close to humiliating Ireland, including a recall for Brive's Luciano Orquera at fly-half, who comes in for Kris Burton to make his first Six Nations start in six years. At scrum-half, Pablo Canavosio had been down to replace the injured Edoardo Gori, but has cried off through fatigue so the berth goes to Fabio Semenzato - Canavosio can snooze on the bench. Up front, Carlo Del Fava replaces Santiago Dellape in the second row and Valerio Bernabo steps up for his Six Nations debut in place of the injured Josh Sole. England: Foden (Northampton); Ashton (Northampton), Tindall (Gloucester, capt), Hape (Bath), Cueto (Sale Sharks); Flood (Leicester), Youngs (Leicester); Corbisiero (London Irish), Hartley (Northampton), Cole (Leicester), Deacon (Leicester), Palmer (Stade Francais), Wood (Northampton), Haskell (Stade Français), Easter (Harlequins). Replacements: Thompson (Leeds Carnegie), Wilson (Bath), Shaw (Wasps), Fourie (Leeds Carnegie), Care (Harlequins), Wilkinson (Toulon), Banahan (Bath). Italy: McLean (Treviso); Masi (Racing Métro), Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Sgarbi (Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Racing Métro); Orquera (Brive), Canavosio (Aironi); Perugini (Aironi), Ghiraldini (Treviso), Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Del Fava (Aironi), Geldenhuys (Aironi), Bernabò (Treviso), Zanni (Treviso), Parisse (Stade Français, capt). Replacements: Ongaro (Aironi), Lo Cicero (Racing Métro), Dellape (Racing Metro), Barbieri (Treviso), Semenzato (Treviso), Burton (Treviso), Garcia (Treviso). Referee: C Joubert (South Africa). 2.15pm: Hmmm ... rugby. England tighthead Alex Corbisiero isn't the only person getting thrown in at the deep end in this match - I can't remember ever having done a minute-by-minute report on a rugby match before and am not looking forward to this with anything approaching relish. Still, given the choice, I'd rather be sitting on a chair typing than binding down with Martin Castrogiovanni. For anyone who fancies a punt: Will Greenwood came within one-quarter of a point of landing a spectacular 10-1 treble on Betfair last weekand (his selection: England with a handicap of -2.5, Ireland to win by less than 12.5 points and France to win by less than 12.5 points). This weekend he goes for England (-22.5), Scotland (-2.5) and Ireland to beat France. I honestly can't say I agree with any of those selections, but I've had £10 on at a little over 8-1, just for the hell of it. Meanwhile at Twickenham: Martin Johnson speaks: "We've spent all week trying to get better and trying to improve ... now it's time to play. Now it's time to play, let's be patient when they've got the ball, let's not give away silly turnovers ... the scrummage can be a big factor in some games and not so big in others ... we've got a very young front row but it's our best front row ..." BBC analyst Lawrence Dallaglio speaks: "This is a very different atmosphere indeed ... Italy would have targetted last week's game as one they could have won ... Tom Wood made a very positive start and sometimes the timing of your introduction to international rugby can make a big difference ... hopefully Tom can kick on and have a great international career." Italy are out: The Italy team run out on to the Twickenham sward and settle into their pre-match huddle. A couple of minutes' latyer, England march out to be greeted by a man in a white top hat waving an England flag, some pyrotechnics and warm applause from the occupants of a stadium that looks to be packed to the rafters. Not long now ... The national anthems: The Italians line up with their arms around each other's shoulders, looking as fit and ferocious as butchers dogs in their tight blue shirts as they stand to attention for a rousing rendition of Anto Degli Italiani. It's followed by God Save The Queen, which is a bit of a dirge by comparison. England wear white shirts and socks , with anthracite grey socks flecked with red. Yes, anthracite. 1 min: Italy kick off and it's game on. After some poatient build-up play they feed the ball out the back line. Fly-half Luciano Orquera hoists a high cross-field kick which is fumbled by Ben Foden, but the referee plays the advantage. TRY! England 7-0 Italy (Chris Ashton 2) Having promised he wouldn't score with what is fast becoming his trademark swallow-dive, Chris Ashton swallow-dives between the posts holding the ball high and one-handed, before bringing it crashing to the ground. He's got England off to the perfect start after being released through the centre by Ben Foden on an England counter-attack. Toby Flood grabs the bonus points with a minimum of fuss. England 7-3 Italy (Bergamsco penalty, 4) Italy centre Mirco Bergmasco slots the ball between the posts from the inside left flank. I have no idea what the infringement was. 7 min: It seems Italy were awarded that penalty for an obstruction by Nick Easter. From the restart, Italy win a scrum. It's the first of the match, but England's front row hold up well. 9 min: England go on the attack and Mark Cueto is brought to ground a couple of metres short from the Italy try-line. Referee Joubert awards England a penalty after Mirco Bergamasco is penalised for offside. England 10-3 Italy (Flood pen) Toby Flood does the honours from 22 metres out, a bit right of centre. 12 min: With Italy making their second excursion into England's half, Shontayne Hape is penalised for failing to release the ball and Italy win another soft penalty. Martin Johnson will be furious with that. England 10-6 Italy (Bergamasco pen) Italy's Mirco Bergamasco makes no mistake, pegging England's lead back to just four points, a sum which is hardly reflective of the home side's early dominance. 16 min: England lineout about 10 metres inside the Italian half. Dylan Hartley picks out Louis Deacon at the from of the lineout and England lay the foundations for their next forward suge. 18 min: Deep in his own territory, England full-back Ben Foden gets a rare touch of the ball, takes on and beats Andrea Masi on the Italy wing, but runs out of pitch and steps over the line. 19 min: At the breakdown inside their own 22, Italy turn the ball over then win a penalty when Tom Wood is penalised for dragging an Italian into a ruck. The visitors clear their lines. 21 min: Italy win a penalty after Tom Wood refuses to release the ball in a ruck. The referee summons England captain Mike Tindall and instructs him to have a word in his flanker's ear. Penalty to Italy, 51m from goal, wide on the left. 22 min: The distance proves too far for Mirco Bergamasco, whose effort was going wide, but dropped short anyway. England set off on the counter, feeding the ball out to the left flank, where prop Dan Cole looks set to sprint into the limelight after beating two players. Just as the delusions of grandur set in and thoughts of glory cross his mind, he's brought to ground and Italy immediately go on the break. 23 min: Italy advance from inside their own 22 into Englands courtesy of a gallop from Bergamasco. His good work is wasted when his supporting team-mates are penalised for coming in the side-door - a penalty for England, which allows Toby Flood to kick for touch. TRY! England 17-6 Italy (Ashton) Chuntering towards the Italy line, Shontayne Hape breaks one tackle and offloads to Chris Ashton, who pirouettes out of an attempted Italian bear-hug a couple of yards short of the line, drops to his knees and stretches. There's no time or room for a swallow-dive there, but it's another five points for England. Toby Flood adds the extras. TRY! England 24-6 Italy (Cueto) England play the ball out the backline about 10 yards from the Italy try line. Hartley pings it out to Flood, who turns back inside and pops up a short pass for Cueto, on his shoulder - the Sale wing has the simple task of grounding the ball between the posts. After receiving treatment for an injury sustained while offloading to Cueto, Flood converts the try. 33 min: From the kick-off, England counter-ruck their way back into possession and win the penalty advantage. I have next to no idea what any of that means, but BBC commentator and Observer rugby writer Eddie Butler just said it, so it must be true. 34 min: England force a turnover courtesy of Dan Cole, winning a penalty. Flood kicks for touch and his bomb wins England possession on the Italian 22. TRY! England 31-6 Italy (Tindall) England win the lineout, Nick Easter hands off an Italian and offloads to Mike Tindall, who scores. Flood converts. 36 min: "I never see him! I never see him! I never see him!" protests Italy No8 Sergio Parisse, gesticulating fueriously in the traditional Italian style after being penalised for tackling Nick Easter in mid-air. His protestations fall on deaf ears and referee Craig Joubert tells him he won't put up with any more dissent from the Italians. 39 min: Now Mark Cueto is moaning at the referee about being tackled without the ball. Nobody likes a grass, Cueto. 39 min: Not long now until half-time, with Italy set to trot off for the interval 25 points down in a half everyone was expecting them to play their best in. They could run out on the wrong end of some hiding by close of play this afternoon. Half-time Second half: Toby Flood gets proceedings under way for the second half, with both sides unchanged. 41 min: "The problem for Italy," says Lawrence Dallaglio in the BBC commentary box, "is that they're 31-6 down on the scoreboard so they've got to force something to try and get back in the game. If England wanted, they could just sit back and defend and score lots of tries on the turnover." 45 min: Italy have more problems - they're down to 14 men after Martin Castogiovanni is sin-binned for slapping the ball out of Ben Youngs' hands as the England scrum-half tried to take a quick free-kick. That's a bit harsh. 46 min: Apologies for the delay between those last two updates - for no apparent reason, gremlins in the system occasionally cause updates to disappear. England substitution: Simon Shaw goes in to England's second row for Louis Deacon, who looks to have taken a knock. Italy substitution: Santiago Dellape into Italy's second row for Carlo Del Fava. 48 min: Hats off to 14-man Italy, who are riding out their current sin-bin storm well. 49 min: Some more changes. England substitution: Dylan Hartley off, Steve Thompson on. Mark Cueto off, Mike Banahan on. Italy substitution: Valerio Bernabo off, Andrea LeCicero on. 51 min: Italy get penalised for another infringement around the ruck and their skipper Sergio Parisse has a right go at the referee (by rugby standards). He needs to be careful or he'll find himself cooling his jets in the sin bin. 52 min: Right, it seems my reports are more about team administration than actuakl rugby at the moment - what's going on. As a chorus of Swing Low Sweet Chariot rolls around the stands of Twickenham, England are enjoying a period of sustained pressure, camped just outside the Italy 22. TRY! England 38-6 Italy (Ashton) Chris Ashton completes his hat-trick, stealing the glory after forwards Nick Easter and James Haskell had done the donkey work. Haskell went on a rampaging run through the centre and offloaded to Flood, who played an inside-pass to Easter. He was tackled inches short of the line, where Ashton was on hand to pick the ball off the ground and dive over. Flood adds the conversion. 56 min: More England changes: Toby Flood and Ben Youngs off, Jonny Wilkinson and Danny Care on. Italy change: Castrogiovanni comes out of the bin and almost immediately goes off injured. Substitute Andrea LeCicero who had been on as a sub and gone off again, replaces him. TRY! Eng 45-6 Italy (Care) The replacement scrum-half takes the ball from the base of a ruck, jinks to his right then goes for glory himself after wrongfooting the defence. Andrea LeCicero's tackle is weak, allowing Care to cross the line. Bergamasco converts. 61 min: Italy concede a penalty deep inside their own territory for refusing to roll away from the ball after going to ground. Nothing comes of the ensuing kick. England replacements: Cole and Wood off, Fourie and Wilson on. 63 min: England win a line-out about five metres from the Italian try-line, as Martin Castrogiovanni returns to battle once again. Despite winning the lineout, England makes a complete dog's breakfast of the ensuing surge forward and gift possession to Italy. 64 min: The touch judge tells Craig Joubert that he saw Matt Banahan have "a little trip" at an Italian runner, prompting the referee to give the England No22 a ticking-off. If he sin-binned Castrogiovanni for slapping the ball out of Ben Youngs' hands, I can see no reason why Banahan shouldn't have suffered the same punishment there. 66 min: "All these substitutions are confusing me," writes Gary Naylor. "Is this a friendly?" TRY! England 45-13 Italy (Ongaro) To patronising applause from the stands, Italy score, with Fabio Ongario grounding the ball to celebrate his 76th cap when a rolling Italian maul collapses after crossing the England line. Bergamasco converts. TRY! England 52-13 Italy (Haskell) England rampage forward, with Care picking out Easter, who sees a gap and feeds Haskell to gallop over the line for the try. Jonny Wilkinson converts. According to Lawrence Dallaglio, that was a run-around pivot pass. Either he's just making stuff up to sound clever, or rugby's changed a hell of a lot since I last played it. TRY! England 59-13 Italy (Ashton) Chris Ashton sprints through the increasingly porous Italian defence to score his fourth try, Jonny Wilkinson converts. 78 min: Jonny Wilkinson hurts himself putting in a magnificent try-saving tackle, then Sergio Parisse goes off with a dead leg - it's getting messy out there. "Actually, Barry old chap," writes Stephen Kear, who appears to live in the 1920s and may well be wearing spats. "The patronising applause from the stands is for your totally shite match report. Get you gone!!" 80 min: With the pitch beginning to resemble the set of Reservoir Dogs, the referee brings the game to an end. That's a very impressive performance by England in general and man of the match Chris Ashton in particular. In the BBC studio, card-carrying front row union member Keith Wood is full of praise for England's pack and singles out debutant prop Alex Corbisiero, who he thinks had a magnificent game.