‘Wonderful’ Six Nations excites England boss Eddie Jones after Italy destruction in Rome

Defending champions launch bid for an unprecedented third successive title by rounding off the first round of fixtures with a 46-15 win away to Italy

Reading Time:3 minutes

England coach Eddie Jones said rugby fans had been treated to a great opening weekend in the Six Nations Championship. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:51am, 5 Feb 2018Updated: 9:47pm, 5 Feb 2018

England coach Eddie Jones forecast fans were in for a treat following the “wonderful rugby” played on the opening weekend of this season’s Six Nations.

Jones’s men launched their bid for an unprecedented third successive outright title by rounding off the first round of fixtures with a 46-15 win away to Italy in Rome on Sunday.

A crowd of more than 61,000 spectators at the Stadio Olimpico saw England run in seven tries, with an emboldened Italy scoring two of their own before fading away late on.

England’s Courtney Lawes (R) catches a line-out ball during the Six Nations match against Italy. Photo: EPA

The fixture capped a weekend where Wales hammered Scotland 34-7 in Cardiff, while Ireland needed a last-ditch drop goal from Johnny Sexton to see off France 15-13 in Paris.

It all promised a truly competitive tournament, in marked contrast to last year’s Rugby Championship where world champions New Zealand were yet again the overwhelmingly dominant side in the southern hemisphere equivalent of the Six Nations.

“I thought if you look at the three games in the championship so far, what wonderful rugby,” said Jones.