England stayed in the chase for the Six Nations title with a bonus-point victory against Italy but lost Ollie Lawrence to an achilles injury that threatens his hopes of touring Australia with the British & Irish Lions.
Steve Borthwick’s side scored seven tries as they overwhelmed the Azzurri after a close first half in sunny south-west London, with the fly-half Fin Smith orchestrating the attack impressively.
But Lawrence went down injured and the Bath centre was taken off after nine minutes, bringing Marcus Smith off the replacements’ bench much earlier than expected.
“We’ll know more in the next 48 hours when he has the scans and he sees a specialist,” Borthwick said of Lawrence. “Fingers crossed it’s not quite as severe as we fear it might be. He’ll get the very, very best care, and he’ll see the very, very best people.”
Fin Smith, however, was more downbeat on the prospect of his former Worcester Warriors teammate being fit for the Lions tour that begins in June. “When you see one of your best mates potentially losing the chance to go on a Lions tour and what was bound to be a massive year for him, it breaks your heart,” the Northampton No 10 said.
“I was probably a bit too gutted on the pitch, seeing that happen, and it maybe rattled me for a few minutes. We’re all absolutely devastated for him. I’ve got everything crossed that the scans say it’s not too bad but it is not looking brilliant. He is absolutely devastated.
“He has been a massive part of Bath and pushing them forward, and a massive part of this England team … We’ve got to be good friends to him now because it is going to be a tough time.”
England face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday hoping France – without Antoine Dupont after a serious knee ligament injury sustained against Ireland in Dublin – slip up against Scotland in Paris.
“Wales, Cardiff, the Principality [Stadium] is a tough place to go,” the England captain, Maro Itoje, said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play there numerous times and I know exactly how difficult it is. Wales v England is a humongous fixture, so I know all of Wales will be crammed in the Principality. It’s a challenge we’re very much looking forward to.”
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Italy’s head coach, Gonzalo Quesada, said he was pleased with his players’ response against England after a 73-24 hammering by France last month.
“I was proud of how the team went back to work, without looking for excuses, taking responsibility and with a lot of accountability,” Quesada said. “The first half showed more or less what we prepared.”
