Six Nations 2025: England v Italy – Marcus Smith drops to bench with Elliot Daly at 15
Image source, Getty ImagesMen’s Six Nations: England v Italy
Date: Sunday, 9 March Kick-off: 15:00 GMT Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Coverage: Live audio commentary via the BBC Sport website and app
Elliot Daly will start ahead of Marcus Smith at full-back for England’s match against Italy on Sunday, with the Harlequins playmaker dropped to the bench.
Fraser Dingwall, who won his last England cap more than a year ago, comes into centres alongside Ollie Lawrence, with Henry Slade left out of the matchday 23.
Dingwall’s inclusion means five of the seven backs are from Northampton, with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith continuing their half-back partnership.
Jamie George starts at hooker as he becomes the seventh player to reach a century of caps for the England men’s team.
Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, who scored in England A’s win over Ireland’s second string last month, is preferred to Harry Randall as the scrum-half cover among the replacements.
England have won all 31 of their previous meetings with Italy but took only a narrow 27-23 victory in Rome last year in the Six Nations.
Head coach Steve Borthwick’s side lie third in the Six Nations table, one and four points respectively behind France and Ireland, who meet in Dublin on Saturday (14:15 GMT).
England team to face Italy
England: Daly; Freeman, Lawrence, Dingwall, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, George, Stuart, Itoje, Chessum, T Curry, Earl, Willis
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Baxter, Heyes, Hill, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Van Poortvliet, M Smith
Marcus Smith’s shift to the bench represents a dramatic downsizing of his role in just a few months.
Initially afforded an opportunity by injury to George Ford, he started all three matches in England’s summer tour of Japan and New Zealand at fly-half and continued in the role throughout the autumn.
However, he was shifted to a full-back role in the wake of England’s opening-round defeat, with England hoping he could combine his dangerous broken-field running from back field with the ability to step in as an additional playmaker alongside novice fly-half Fin Smith.
Daly scored the decisive late try with a well-timed run in England’s wins over France and appeared off the bench again in the victory over Scotland, but has not started a match at full-back for England in four years.
More to follow
