England coach Steve Borthwick drops playmaker Marcus Smith to the bench
Marcus began the Six Nations as the team's first-choice fly-half but, following their defeat to Ireland in Round One, he was shifted to fullback. The Harlequins star started at 15 against both France and Scotland but he has now been moved to the bench for their upcoming match with the Azzurri. That means Elliot Daly, who scored the winning try against Les Bleus, comes into the side at full-back with Smith in the 23 shirt. Borthwick has generally made minimal changes to the squad but Fraser Dingwall gets a shot at centre. Henry Slade has been carrying a knock but it is understood that he has been dropped. Dingwall partners Ollie Lawrence at centre while Daly combines with Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme in the back three. The half-backs remain unchanged while up front there is just one alteration as Jamie George starts in what will be his 100th cap for the national team. "Reaching 100 caps is a wonderful achievement that reflects Jamie's talent, dedication and hard work," Borthwick said. "He has consistently given his all while wearing an England shirt and the team couldn't be prouder of his incredible milestone." George partners Ellis Genge and Will Stuart in the front row, with captain Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum the lock combination. The loose trio once again sees Tom Curry, Ben Earl and Tom Willis start together in the Six Nations. "England versus Italy is always an exciting fixture to be part of," the head coach added. "Playing in front of our home supporters at Allianz Stadium is something we're really looking forward to, and we're sure it will be a fantastic game of rugby." Meanwhile, Luke Cowan-Dickie reverts to the bench and he is joined by Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Chandler Cunningham-South and Ben Curry as the forward replacements. Interestingly, Jack van Poortvliet gets a shot in the 23 after impressing for England A against Ireland A two weeks ago, with Marcus Smith rounding out the squad. England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Tom Willis, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Jack van Poortvliet, 23 Marcus Smith
