Italy out to bring England down to earth

Italy have vowed to give England a baptism of fire in their first competitive match as world champions when the RBS 6 Nations tournament kicks off this weekend.

Clive Woodward’s men have been feted by the Queen, the British Prime Minister and the general public – 750,000 of them on the streets of London when the Webb Ellis Trophy was paraded – since they became the first northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup last year in Australia.