- Anthony Watson crossed in the corner to put Eddie Jones’s side into an early lead at the Stadio Olimpico
- Scrum-half Ben Youngs was forced off with injury inside the first ten minutes and replaced by Danny Care
- Watson then combined well with fellow wing Jonny May to score England’s second try in the Italian capital
- Italy responded, however, with Tommaso Benvenuti scoring with their first meaningful attack on 21 minutes
- England re-established their 10-point advantage thanks to Owen Farrell’s well-worked try four minutes later
- Watson missed the chance to score his third try when he failed to ground the ball early in the second half
- Seven minutes later, Sam Simmonds scored his first of two tries for England as they added gloss to scoreline
- Mattia Bellini score Italy’s second try of the day on 57 minutes before George Ford crossed 11 minutes later
- Simmonds and replacement wing Jack Nowell scored in the final few minutes as England stretched clear
England began their pursuit of a third-successive Six Nations title with a bonus-point victory over a game Italy side in Rome.
Both Anthony Watson and Sam Simmonds crossed twice for Eddie Jones’s side, with Owen Farrell, Jack Nowell and George Ford also scoring in the seven-try victory.
Farrell added 11 points with the boot at the Stadio Olimpico, while Tommaso Benvenuti and Mattia Bellini scored consolation tries for Conor O’Shea’s spirited but out-gunned Italy side.
More to follow
Anthony Watson scored two tries inside the first 15 minutes for Eddie Jones’s side at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday
The Bath and England wing put the visitors into an early lead after good hands from the likes of George Ford and Ben Te’o
Watson is mobbed by Ben Youngs and Ford after giving England the perfect start in their Six Nations opener against Italy
Scrum-half Youngs was forced from the field inside only 10 minutes after suffering a nasty-looking injury to his knee
Watson, 23, doubled his and England’s tally with a well-taken try following good work from his opposite wing Jonny May
The wing did excellently to ground the ball without going into touch as England raced into an early 10-point lead in Rome
(L-R) May, flanker Chris Robshaw and replacement scrum-half Danny Care race to congratulate the England No 14
England centre Owen Farrell, usually deadly from the kicking tee, missed his first two conversions in their Six Nations opener
England’s lead was cut to only three points, albeit temporarily, when Tommaso Benvenuti crossed in the corner on 21 minutes
After the home side’s first period of pressure on the England line, Italy worked a man over and Benvenuti scored their first try
England responded immediately, however, with Farrell crossing for their third try of the day after neat work from Ford
The England fly-half put his inside centre into space to run clear and re-establish the visitors’ 10-point lead on Sunday
Sam Simmonds secured the bonus point for England with their fourth try of the Six Nations clash after 12 second-half minutes
The back row showed brilliant acceleration to race clear and cap an excellent individual display with a second-half score
Ford and Farrell combined well again in the second half as the fly-half crossed for Jones’s dominant side in the Italian capital
Te’o, who was preferred to Jonathan Joseph at outside centre, crashes into contact as Simmonds looks to offer support
England fly-half Ford loops around his inside centre Farrell, who missed both of his early conversion attempts on Sunday
Saracens talisman Farrell brings down Italy full-back Matteo Minozzi during an action-packed first half at the Stadio Olimpico
New Zealand-born forward Dean Rudd rises highest at the lineout as Italy look to regain a foothold in the Six Nations clash
Watson had the chance to score his third try of the game early in the second half but the wing dropped the ball over the line