Finally, this was the moment when England’s words matched their deeds, at least in terms of their attacking endeavour. Steve Borthwick has consistently talked about his side’s determination to play a high-tempo game that harnesses the athletic prowess of their back five and the speed of their back three.

England kept themselves in Guinness Six Nations title contention after beating Italy 47-24 in bonus-point fashion at Allianz Stadium. A five-point maximum took Steve Borthwick's team above Ireland and into second place behind France ahead of the so-called Super Saturday finale next weekend.

ENGLAND turned on the second-half power to keep their Six Nations hopes alive. Three tries in the space of 13 minutes at the start of the second period transformed the interval nerves into Allianz