Jones tweaks the line-up to face the Azzurri

Last week, Ruck Me Gently took a look at Eddie Jones' England squad from the angle of those who may have earned their first cap. This week, we take a specific look at the changes from the game against Scotland to England's second match against Italy, taking place on Sunday at 14:00 (GMT). At Murrayfield, the men in white recorded a solid victory over the home side, but the performance was lacklustre at times and far from convincing if England want to win the title. So, what do we make of the four changes the Head Coach has made in response to last week's efforts?

The New Starters

1. Mako Vunipola for Joe Marler - whilst the starting front row of Joe Marler, Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole were able to achieve parity with their Scottish counterparts last weekend, Mako Vunipola's introduction in the second half after forty-eight minutes gave England the scrum advantage and therefore the forward momentum. For perhaps the first time in the match, England looked to be on top after a very close encounter leading to only a one point difference between the teams at half time. There is no doubt Vunipola bought the impact from the bench that coaches always look for. He even made a great 'out the back' pass to Owen Farrell, who then sent Jack Nowell in for his try on fifty minutes. Vunipola's performance last weekend, combined with his efforts for Saracens this season, have meant a well deserved starting spot in the match against the Italians.
2. Courtney Lawes for Joe Launchbury - after coming back from an injury sustained in the World Cup, Courtney Lawes was named on the bench last weekend, but ended up playing for a substantial amount of time, coming on after just 46 minutes to replace Joe Launchbury. In a recent interview with Sky Sports after naming the squad to play Italy, Jones described Launchbury's performance as "a bit off-colour", explaining his decision to make the change. It wasn't that Launchbury did anything wrong per se, but he is usually a stand out player on the field and last weekend his work rate perhaps was not as high as it could, or should, have been. Lawes made a good impact from the bench, putting in some quality tackles, and, with Jones stating he wants "no Italian player left standing", the booming tackles the Northampton lock is famous for making would certainly be appreciated by the Head Coach. Jones wants a 'bully' on the field, and in Lawes he most definitely has that. 
3. Ben Youngs for Danny Care - prior to Danny Care's substitution, the ball at the breakdown had come out pretty quick, however this all changed when Ben Youngs took the field. In his typical style, Youngs slowed down the ball dramatically, taking his time to look around the field before picking the ball up, in the process ruining any chances England had of exploiting any gaps in the Scottish defence. Jones believes the Leicester scrum half's game suits how he wants to play against Italy, but the fact that he wants an up-tempo match is completely contradictory to the way Youngs plays. Care is well known for playing this up-tempo style that the Head Coach wants, and therefore his skill set would have been much more suitable against the Italians. Having said that, the Harlequins player can make a good impact from the bench. It remains to be seen as to whether Youngs can adopt a faster style of play.

As mentioned at the beginning, there are technically four changes, the last of which is purely a bench change. The uncapped Saracen Maro Itoje takes a bench spot, whilst Bath's Ollie Devoto misses out. Itoje has had a huge couple of seasons for his club, with many picking him out as a future captain for England. His international debut at senior level has been highly anticipated, and this weekend England supporters are set to catch a first glimpse of what he can bring to the team. Talent wise, there is no disputing the high work rate he puts in defensively, whether that be through tackling or at the breakdown. Attacking wise, he carries the ball very well and wins line out ball effectively, making him a well-rounded forward. He has even been compared to the likes of Martin Johnson and Paul O'Connell, suggesting that he has a really bright future ahead of him, adding to what he has already achieved at the age of 21 - including captaining Saracens to the LV= Cup in 2015.

So there you have it, the small list of changes Jones has made in response to the type of game he expects to be played against Italy this weekend. The Head Coach will be hoping these changes, along with the rest of the squad, will bring about a more commanding performance over eighty minutes. Supporters want to see a different England to the one who underperformed in the World Cup, and last weekend's performances was more England of old than new.

Before signing off, just a quick reminder that the match kicks off at 14:00 on ITV One. The full match day 23 can be found here - http://www.englandrugby.com/news/rbs-nations-england-make-three-changes-for-italy/. Here's hoping for a convincing win over the Italians tomorrow to set England up for the huge clash against Ireland in two weeks time. 

Thanks for reading ruckers,

Jess and Aaron.

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