Chris Robshaw's Six Nations column: Time for England to up the tempo
Former England Rugby captain Chris Robshaw gives his opinion on England's progress over the course of the 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations, as well as how they should take on Italy.
International sport is about winning, and England are starting to build momentum in that regard. It might not have been 40-point, bonus-point win against Scotland, but the most important thing is that momentum is back on England’s side.
For quite a while England were losing tight games despite playing well, now they might not have been as fluid against the Scots and the French, but winning is a good position to be in, regardless of how they do it.
Look at South Africa, who don’t necessarily play the most exciting brand of rugby, but they win and at this level it’s all about results.
By beating Scotland, the team have given themselves a chance of winning the tournament and people don’t always realise how hard it is to win the Six Nations, let alone a Grand Slam. It’s hard to win for a reason, that's why it's so special.
Getting the win against a big side and backing it up against another team you haven’t beaten in four years is massive, especially for a young group.
I know there are a lot of caps but generally it is quite a young squad and that confidence, as well as getting Allianz Stadium onside, takes a little bit of the weight off their shoulders.
That being said, it is two of the more experienced heads who have really impressed me, Maro Itoje and Jamie George.
Since being made captain I think Itoje has just elevated his levels and is back to being thought of as one of the best locks in the world, he has been fantastic so far. Lifting the Calcutta Cup as his first bit of silverware as captain would have been incredibly special for him, but he will definitely want to get his hands on more trophies.
Similarly, his vice-captain George has come back into the squad and made such an impact off the bench. It would have been easy for him to kick his heels a bit after losing the captaincy, but the way he’s been playing has been superb and I think that shows his professionalism and his character.
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In the remaining games, I’d like to see England convert more of their chances, especially their visits to the 22.
When I was playing it was that great All Blacks team of the 2010s who just seemed to convert everything. If they got into your third, 75% of the time they were coming away with points.
England can’t afford to leave points out there, especially against an Italian side that will be hurting after their thumping defeat by the French. On another day, against another team, not converting chances can turn a result completely on its head.
It is tricky, because the hardest part is going from almost converting, to converting, but England need to transform the pressure they put on sides into points. That's probably the next step for them to go to that next level. We've seen the defence improve, we've seen them winning games. It’s now about converting those little opportunities, it’s about not letting teams off the hook.
The fact that there are still work-ons for England means that they won’t take Italy lightly either, even considering their loss to France.
Italy have changed quite a lot since I played them. They used to rely on a strong set-piece and a group of talented individuals, but as a collective, Italy have really improved.
They now play with more confidence and a better structure. Of course the individuals have improved, but there is now more variety and an expansive game plan that makes them dangerous.
England need to up the tempo against Italy, especially when they have possession in the Italian half. There are some really talented wingers in this England side – Tommy Freeman has three tries from three games – they need to be given plenty of opportunities to run with the ball and challenge.
Maintaining a strong set-piece will be key to releasing the backs, as it will tire the Italian forwards and create more space for the likes of Freeman, Ollie Sleightolme and Marcus Smith.
Italy also have dangerous players, but if England kick to compete instead of kicking long, that should neutralise the threat of Ange Capuozzo and Monty Ioane. The last thing you want to give them is a broken field to stretch their legs.
In the past we have seen a couple of changes against an Italian side that’s low on confidence, but I can’t see there being too many.
As a player, the Six Nations is not quite the same as the Autumn Nations Series. It is still exhausting, but you don’t have four back-to-back games.
The players have just had two fallow weeks and one game; if you are rotated you could have not played for three weeks by the time the Wales game comes around.
Keeping a bit of consistency in selection will mean the players can continue to build their fluidity. Rest is important, but I don’t think any player will want to sit on the sideline – it’s the worst position to be in because you want to be out there playing.
