England vs France LIVE: Six Nations score and result as England fall to humiliating record loss at Twickenham
England 10-53 France: England were embarrassed as Les Bleus ran in seven tries to stun their hosts
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Your support makes all the difference.England suffered their largest-ever home defeat as they were obliterated 53-10 by a rampant France in their Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
England were booed off by a half-empty Twickenham crowd at full-time, with many having left as things went from bad to worse across the 80 minutes as Les Bleus ran in seven tries.
The hosts offered minimal resistance as they were outworked, outmuscled and outclassed – with Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud all scoring two tries, while Thomas Ramos got another –in a humiliation.
The defeat far outstripped the heaviest previous home loss, a 42-6 reverse to South Africa at Twickenham back in 2008.
Relive England vs France in the Six Nations, below:
Number eight battle of new and old
Two standouts for each side before the second fallow week were the number eights, Lorenzo Cannone’s canters catching the eye for Italy against Ireland and Taulupe Faletau showing all his wiles in Cardiff.
Faletau may no longer have quite the athleticism that once made him such a menace in wide channels but he is still playing at a consistently high level. Warren Gatland’s back row selections have been a touch confusing during this campaign but there isn’t a huge amount of depth beneath Faletau at number eight, so you would think he’ll remain a key figure throughout the next six months or so – his sort of big-game character and experience could be key today.
His opposite number is more than ten years his junior but there is hope that Cannone can now kick on and make a back row berth his own. Toa Halafihi will be back at some point and offers real solidity at the base but Cannone’s long-striding, hard-hitting ability understandably appeals to Kieran Crowley. It is always worth remembering how young this Italian squad is – at 22, Paolo Garbisi is the oldest of the key core quartet at 8, 9, 10 and 12. This feels like a good afternoon for a statement performance from Italy but there is so much more development yet to come.
Italy opt for Tommaso Allan at full back
The loss of Ange Capuozzo is obviously a major blow for Italy, the quick-as-a-hiccup full back so at the heart of their attacking game over the last few weeks. But reinstating Tommaso Allan to the starting side is a shrewd move from Kieran Crowley, who could have looked to shift Edoardo Padovani to full back and make further changes but instead installs an extra specialist ten into his backline.
Allan and Paolo Garbisi worked well together in combination against Samoa in the autumn and the Harlequins fly-half has looked very tidy in the backfield whenever required for his club in the Premiership this year. He won’t quite threaten Wales in the way Capuozzo does but an extra controller might be no bad thing, and Italy still have plenty of counter-attacking acumen.
Every attack that has faced Wales so far has been able to manipulate space, and variation both from set piece strike moves and in phase play has been a feature of Italy’s tournament. With Allan and Garbisi they can split left and right with a playmaker each way for further attacking diversity to test the Welsh defence.
Warren Gatland backs Ospreys familiarity for improved attacking output
If there was a positive for Wales to take from the first two games this year against Ireland and Scotland, it was that their attack was creating chances – just not necessarily taking them. Their red zone conversion rate was historically bad in Rounds One and Two, but the underlying metrics at least suggested that there was more points scoring to come once Wales tightened up their work in the opposition 22. Against England…well, that didn’t quite pan out, with Wales largely unable to create consistent opportunities. But for Louis Rees-Zammit’s intercept score it would have been an ugly day indeed on the scoreboard, and they must rebound this afternoon.
Warren Gatland has put his faith in a playmaking axis from the Ospreys to deliver that improvement. Rhys Webb is back in favour at nine, while Owen Williams will be hoping for a more influential performance as he continues to get a slightly surprising run at seizing the ten shirt. Joe Hawkins’ tidy tournament bodes well for the future but this might be a day for the young inside centre to really step up against a similarly tender but talented 12 in Tommaso Menoncello.
Six Nations 2023: Italy vs Wales
Wales captain Ken Owens has reflected on a “hugely emotional time” for Welsh rugby ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations clash against Italy in Rome.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland revealed on Thursday that a threat of possible player strike action before the Six Nations appointment with England last month caused a significant split and tension within his squad.
A crushing contractual and financial backdrop has engulfed Welsh regional rugby, with all four professional teams - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - facing major funding cuts leading to vastly-reduced contract offers for many players whose deals expire at the end of this season, and a player exodus appears inevitable.
Owens said: “In those two weeks, there was high emotion and a lot of different opinions, which is good. Every player in the squad is in a different situation in their career and where they are at in terms of contracting at the moment.
“It was a hugely emotional time for different reasons. The whole group were mature about it and a decision was made democratically - we all bought into that. That was two weeks ago now, and we have had time just to prepare and concentrate on the rugby, and that is what we will be doing tomorrow.
“There has been a lot going on off the field, which has been tough to deal with at times. It is what it is, and we have to get on with things.”
Team News – Wales
Warren Gatland again makes significant changes to the Wales 23, with the starting side this week bearing six changes. Alun Wyn Jones drops out entirely with Daffyd Jenkins backed to partner Adam Beard at lock, while Jac Morgan and Justin Tipuric are the chosen colleagues for Taulupe Faletau one row further back.
Rhys Webb makes his first start of the tournament at scrum-half, with Owen Williams outside him and Dan Biggar another standout exclusion from the matchday squad. With no specialist ten elsewhere, Joe Hawkins will cover fly half alongside bidding to further bed in his nascent partnership with Mason Grady in the centres.
Wales XV: Wyn Jones, Ken Owens (capt.), Tomas Francis; Daffyd Jenkins, Adam Beard; Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau; Rhys Webb, Owen Williams; Rio Dyer, Joe Hawkins, Mason Grady, Josh Adams; Liam Williams.
Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Gareth Thomas, Dillon Lewis, Rhys Davies, Tommy Reffell; Tomos Williams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit.
Team News - Italy
Disappointingly, Ange Capuozzo’s Six Nations is over due to a hand injury, prompting an enforced change from Kieran Crowley. It is the only one to the Italian starting fifteen, with Tommaso Allan pushed into a full back role he has fulfilled at times for Harlequins this season – the playmaker may lack Capuozzo’s dynamic, free-running threat but adds another kicker and distributor to Italy’s funky, adventurous attack.
On the bench, Crowley returns to a 6:2 split, with Manuel Zuliani recalled to the matchday 23 to provide cover for a back row that impressed against Ireland.
Italy XV: Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari; Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (capt.), Lorenzo Cannone; Stephen Varney, Paolo Garbisi; Pierre Bruno, Tommaso Menoncello, Juan Ignacio Brex, Edoardo Padovani; Tommaso Allan.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Manuel Zuliani; Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi.
Six Nations 2023
When is Italy vs Wales?
Wales take on Italy in Rome today, Saturday 11 March, at 2.15pm GMT.
How to watch on TV and online
Italy vs Wales will be broadcast live on free-to-air channels ITV, S4C and STV. To live-stream the game online, viewers can access the ITVX, S4C and STV websites and apps.
Six Nations 2023
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the 2023 Six Nations.
Round 4 delivers two fascinating matches to kick us off with Italy and Wales battling to avoid the wooden spoon in Rome before an England side with Marcus Smith at fly half host France at Twickenham.
Stick with us as we bring you all the action.
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