Six Nations/Italy 16 England 31: If they do win this year's Six Nations title, or even a grand slam, England will not recall Saturday's victory as the easiest part of the equation. By the end the visitors had dug deeper than proved necessary against Wales and developed serious respect for their committed hosts. If the Azzurri fail to register a win this season, it will not be for lack of endeavour.
It was not always a scintillating spectacle. England may sit on top of the table, but the real significance lay in what did not happen in Rome.
When England trailed 9-7 early in the second half they could have panicked, but did not do so. When Italy went behind they could have folded, but fought on. Both coaches went home in upbeat mood, keenly aware of the value of collective character.
England's Andy Robinson, in particular, was encouraged that his side had found answers to some tricky early questions. Others felt they should have located them earlier and their first-half obsession with route one was overdone. But this remodelled England team is focused, painstaking and acutely aware of the direct ratio between perspiration and inspiration.
If the first two weekends of the Six Nations have underlined anything, it is that sides who make the fewer mistakes usually win. England's so-solid crew still have problems working their best runners into space but they commit few serious howlers. Whether that will be enough in Edinburgh and Paris in the next month, let alone at the World Cup next year, remains the six-million-euro question.
In the next 18 months England still have issues to address. At present their opponents know pretty much what to expect: head down for the first 20 minutes, a slight slackening of the grip in the second quarter and a strong finish assisted by their big bench men. This team do not specialise in early knockouts; repeated sandbagging is more their style.
At some stage, though, someone might just ask Robinson if scoring more points in the first half would not make life a lot more comfortable.
England's first try came on 25 minutes and involved Mike Tindall cutting past three defenders and incorporated something that looked alarmingly like a sidestep.
The next came from a pre-planned move that saw Tindall turn the ball back inside to a charging Ben Cohen, whose well judged pass set up Mark Cueto for his 11th try in 13 Tests.
England's other two tries came from Charlie Hodgson's sprightly line-break and James Simpson-Daniel's deft pick-up late on.
As for Italy, there is no question the likes of Sergio Parisse and Mauro Bergamasco would get into most Six Nations sides. Ramiro Pez was an equally sure-footed presence, putting his side ahead with a sweet drop-goal to add to two earlier penalties. The home side's try by Mirco Bergamasco, their first against England in Rome since 2000, was also a beauty.
"We proved today we can play at this level," said Italy's coach Pierre Berbizier.
But international rugby is an unforgiving playground. Both these sides will be judged next year on how they compare with the world's best. England are cruising through the gears but there are still some awkward bends to negotiate.
ITALY: C Stoica; P Canavosio, G Canale, Mirco Bergamasco, L Nitoglia; R Pez, P Griffen; S Perugini, F Ongaro, C Nieto; Dellape, M Bortolami; J Sole, Mauro Bergamasco, S Parisse. Replacements: C Festuccia, A Lo Cicero, L Castrogiovanni, C Del Fava, S Picone, R Wakarua, A Persico.
ENGLAND: T Voyce; M Cueto, J Noon, M Tindall, B Cohen; C Hodgson, H Ellis; A Sheridan, S Thompson, M Stevens; S Borthwick, D Grewcock; J Worsley, L Moody, M Corry. Replacements: L Mears, J White, S Shaw, L Dallaglio, M Dawson, A Goode, J Simpson-Daniel.
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
