England moved back to the top of the Six Nations table, thanks to 40-9 victory over Italy in Rome. Heading into the final 30 minutes the sides were only a couple of points apart, before England ran away with the game in the final quarter thanks to their superior bench options.
Jonathan Joseph bagged a hat-trick of tries for England, with Owen Farrell and George Ford also crossing for five-pointers of their own. The defensive side of England's game also impressed, and they remain the only side yet to have conceded a try in the competition.
Youngsters Maro Itoje and Paul Hill both made an impact on their international debuts as second half substitutes, with Eddie Jones' decision to pack the bench with forwards paying off.
Ford crosses for only first-half try in abrasive affair
Just as predicted, Italy stood up to the challenge of England early on, putting their visitors under pressure in the early moments. As always, their talismanic leader Sergio Parisse was at the heart of everything the Italians were doing well, whilst the centre pairing of Michele Campagnaro and Gonzalo Garcia looked threatening before the latter had to leave the field with an injury.
The early pressure soon paid off for the Italians, who took the lead through Carlo Canna from a well taken penalty in the eighth minute. The lead didn't last long though, as Farrell slipped over a penalty of his own three minutes later.
England then took a 6-3 lead, following an excellent break from Ben Youngs, with Ford this time slotting over the penalty due to Farrell being off the field whilst having his head checked after taking a knock.
Canna then drew the sides level, before England took ahold of the game with the first try of the afternoon. After making inroads into the Italian 22, the ball was then recycled wide, with Billy Vunipola popping it back inside to Farrell who then fizzed a perfect pass out to Ford who crossed in the corner.
In the minutes leading up to half time, Italy got on the front foot once more following an English mistake, and capitalised through the boot of Canna to reduce the deficit to two at the break.
Joseph triple sees England stroll to victory
In the week leading up to the game, Eddie Jones had made clear his hopes that his England side would give Italy a 'good hiding' as the game wore on, and that was exactly how it played out.
Having dealt with everything the home side had to throw at them, England capitalised on a mistake to take control of the game. After fielding a loose kick, the Italian backline decided to attempt an attack from deep, only for Joseph to intercept a pass in the Italians own 22, allowing him to trot under the posts.
The bench then started to clear out, and it was replacement scrum-half Danny Care who then made his impact on the game, putting through a perfect grubber kick behind the defence for Joseph to run on to and cross for his second try in quick succession.
Brilliant English defence then kept the home side at bay after they were camped close to the line for a short period, and then with ten minutes left on the clock they scored their fourth try. A huge tackle from the impressive George Kruis dislodged the ball in Italian territory, before the ball was shipped wide for Joseph to force his way over for the hat-trick try and extend the lead to 24.
The final try then came in the 74th minute, and it was a real peach, with replacement hooker Jamie George popping a perfect offload to Farrell who cantered under the posts from five yards out, before slotting the extras to put the finishing touches on the 40-9 victory.
It wasn't perfect, but there are clear improvements in this England side from the World Cup debacle a few months ago. The defensive line speed and kick chase are unrecognisable and they are starting to integrate youthful players such as Hill, Itoje and Jack Clifford who all look certain to enjoy long international careers.
The Italians were hampered after losing a number of players to injuries during the game, but they never really troubled England once the lead went past double figures. Their next fixture in Rome against Scotland will be a huge game for them, with a win able to push them up from the bottom of the table. England meanwhile host Ireland in the first game of the tournament to be played at Twickenham.