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Warming up England rolls over Italy 80-23 after slow start
Updated: Monday February 19, 2001 6:12 AM
TWICKENHAM, England (AP) -- England came back from 20-17 down to score 10 tries in a championship record 80-23 victory over Italy in the Six Nations rugby union championship on Saturday. Austin Healey and Iain Balshaw each scored two tries while flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson contributed a championship record 35 points with a try, nine conversions and four penalties as Clive Woodward's team survived a first half scare to power towards an expected Grand Slam. The total easily beat England's previous record of 60 scored against Wales two seasons ago but it didn't look likely midway through the first half. With first half tries by Denis Dalan and Carlo Checchinato, the Italians silenced the England fans in the 75,000 crowd at Twickenham. But the English didn't panic and the records tumbled as Woodward's team took control from just before half time. Despite the absence of star half backs Diego Dominguez, injured, and Alessandro Troncon, suspended for punching Ireland's Peter Stringer two weeks ago, the Italians gave England a real scare. They were first to score when scrum half Andrea Lo Cicero fed winger Dalan 25 meters from the line and the winger saw a gap, charged through it and fended off a despairing tackle by Phil Vickery to go over for the score. Fullback Andrea Scanavarra landed the conversion and the Italians led 7-0 after six minutes.
Three minutes later Wilkinson cut that to 7-3 with a 40-meter penalty before England went ahead with a well-worked try. Lawrence Dallaglio joined the backs as the ball was fed out left, found Balshaw with a long pass out right and then was well placed to collected the winger's inside pass. The back row when found the other winger in support and Healey ran over for the score. Wilkinson's conversion made it 10-7 before Scanavarra's penalty tied the score but the English regained the lead with another Healey try that needed a video replay to determine whether he had grounded it legally. Mike Catt, making his 50th appearance for England, found Balshaw with a long pass in midfield. The winger went round the outside before feeding back inside to Healey. The winger grounded the ball but the video replay referee needed to take another look before deciding it was a score. Wilkinson converted to restore the seven-point lead but the Italians hit back to go back in front. Balshaw failed to catch a high kick ahead from Christian Stoica and the Italians grabbed possession close to the English line. The ball was fed to Checchinato who charged through two tacklers to make the line. Scanavacca kicked the conversion and then landed a long range penalty to put Italy 20-17 ahead with 25 minutes gone. Wilkinson tied the score with a penalty and then England moved ahead once more when they gained a double overlap wide on the left from a maul and Healey found Balshaw in plenty of space to cross in the corner. Wilkinson's conversion made it 27-20 and he stretched the lead to 10 points with a difficult angled penalty. Scanavarra kicked another penalty for the Italians but Wilkinson landed one too and England went into half time 33-23 ahead. The second half was only three minutes old when the English scored their fourth try. From a lineout and maul, Wilkinson fed the ball to Ben Cohen with a short pass to his right and the winger raced through a gap in the center of the Italian defense to run between the posts. Wilkinson's fourth conversion made it 40-23. The English sent former rugby league star Jason Robinson on for his debut in place of Cohen with 30 minutes to show what the former Wigan winger could do at union. But it was another replacement, hooker Mark Regan, who got the next score as England kept pressing in front of the Italian posts and worked the opening for the front row forward in the corner. It was his first try in England colors and Wilkinson's fifth conversion stretched the lead to 24 points. Joe Worsley was another replacement to go over for his first England try after another Balshaw break and, with the Italian defense tiring, center Will Greenwood went over from Wilkinson's pass for England's seventh try. Balshaw went on a 70-meter dash from well inside his own half for the eighth try and Wilkinson dashed through for the ninth. His ninth conversion made it 75-23 but he finally missed his 14th kick after Dallaglio steamed through for the 10th try. Lineups: England -- Iain Balshaw; Austin Healey, Will Greenwood, Mike Catt, Ben Cohen; Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson; Jason Leonard, Dorian West, Phil Vickery, Martin Johnson (captain), Danny Grewcock, Richard Hill, Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio. Italy -- Andrea Scanavacca; Luca Marti, Christian Stoica, Walter Pozzebon, Denis Dallan, Giovanni Raineri; Juan Manuel Queirolo, Andrea Lo Cicero, Alessandro Moscardi (captain), Andrea Muraro, Andrea Gritti, Wilhelmus Visser, Carlo Caione, Mauro Bergamasco, Carlo Checchinato.
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