England terrier Ben Te’o ‘fox-hunts’ Azzurri

Ben Te’o has been instructed to go “fox-hunting” when England launch their NatWest 6 Nations title defence on Sunday.

Te’o has ousted Jonathan Joseph at outside centre for the Stadio Olimpico showdown, making his first Test appearance outside of the British and Irish Lions tour for almost a year after recovering from three months out with a high ankle sprain.

He faced Italy in the 2017 Championship but his only other England start suffered amid “ruckgate”, the controversial yet then-legal tactic employed by Conor O’Shea’s Azzurri to spread confusion among the Red Rose ranks at Twickenham.