Will England manager Martin Johnson have further cause to smile this weekend? © Getty Images

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Matches: Italy 12 - 17 England

Players/Officials: Dan Cole | Riki Flutey

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: England | Italy

Grounds: Twickenham Stadium

The strength of England's recent revival will be tested by a trip to Rome this weekend for their latest Six Nations clash with Italy.

Fresh, mentally if not physically, from their opening victory over Wales, Martin Johnson's side have an ideal opportunity to back up that win with a similar success that would add significant momentum to their Championship campaign. The performance against the Welsh was far from perfect but the result grants England time to work on their shortcomings free of the pressure a demoralising defeat would have surely brought.

As much as Italy's Six Nations rivals politely talk up the Azzurri's status they remain a second division outfit masquerading as one of Europe's elite and the outlook remains bleak with an added Italian element to the Magners League now looking remote, condemning their limited talent pool to a sheltered life. As a result Johnson there is no other side Johnson and co would rather be facing as they look to fill in the blanks evident last weekend.

In contrast, the prospect of facing an England side brimming with renewed confidence and having remembered how to attack with purpose will be a daunting prospect for Italy. Nick Mallett's side will no doubt take strength from a return to home soil but it will take more than passionate fervour of 32,000 fans to invigorate a side found wanting at Croke Park last weekend.

England's selection for the Wales clash promised a more dynamic approach from that which had hindered their autumn aspirations but sadly it failed to materialise. An ill-advised trip and an interception score formed the backbone of a win that was gift-wrapped to a large extent but there was increased endeavour and intensity from the hosts. There was still a painful lack of creative input from fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and much-touted outside centre Mathew Tait with an over-reliance on counter-attacking. Inside centre Riki Flutey's belated introduction to the Championship, a week after a dead leg ruled him out of the opener, is widely seen as the answer to many of England's problems.

The Kiwi-born star chose the Six Nations stage last year to underline his class and furthered his reputation in the famous red shirt of the British & Irish Lions and was sorely missed in the autumn when injury struck him down. At his best he is a formidable attacking weapon, and equally committed in defence, and on paper looks the perfect foil to Tait. His return should also ease the burden on Wilkinson who, though a steadying presence, has struggled to provide an attacking spark.

In the only other change to last weekend's starting line-up, Leicester tight-head Dan Cole comes into the front row for injury concern David Wilson. The 22-year-old has risen through the ranks this season on the back of some outstanding displays for the Tigers but faces a true test of his credentials against an Italian front row regarded as one of the strongest, if not the best, in the world game. Illness threatens to deprive skipper Steve Borthwick the chance to follow up arguably his best performance since taking on the honour. He has had his detractors since taking on the captaincy in 2008 but appears to have weathered that storm, rising above it with a commanding display against Wales.

Last weekend's defeat to Ireland only served to remind Mallett that his side are in a class of their own. The Azzurri's lack of game-breakers in the backline continues to plague their best intentions but there was a more disturbing aspect to their defeat to the Irish. The Italian scrum, so often their saviour, failed to exert the kind of dominance we have come to expect and that fact will have set off alarm bells.

With a limited talent pool from which to conjure some answers, Mallett's man-management skills will come to the fore as he looks to rescue a campaign that promises little and is in danger of delivering even less. The loss of No.8 and talisman Sergio Parisse was always going to be a huge blow to their Championship hopes and the void left by his absence was painfully apparent in Dublin where they lacked a driving force.

Australian-born fly-half Craig Gower played above expectation in one of the few high points of their otherwise forgettable opener where to be fair the Irish did little to enliven proceedings. Expect Italy to raise their game for what is one of only two home games in this year's Championship but they will once again be living off scraps. England were a little generous on that front last time out but having shaken off the rust such gifts will be rare.

Elsewhere, Kaine Robertson drops to the bench with Andrea Masi taking his place at number 14, while Gloucester lock Marco Bortolami replaces Carlo Antonio Del Fava from the starting XV that lost 29-11 in Ireland last weekend.

Getting off to a winning start last weekend was crucial for England and not only in terms of this year's Championship. Victory also served as a reminder that Johnson's side can play when given the freedom to do so. But they were far from the finished article and only another step forward against the beleaguered Italians will now do. Johnson is well aware of that fact and wasted no time in raising the bar in the wake of their Twickenham triumph.

Despite the Valentines Day scheduling, there will be little affection on display in Rome and the only flowers being handed out to the hosts will come with a sympathy card.

Italy: L McLean (Benetton Treviso); A Masi (Racing Metro Paris), G Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), G Garcia (Benetton Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais); C Gower (Bayonne), T Tebaldi (Gran Parma); S Perugini (Bayonne), L Ghiraldini (Benetton Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Q Geldenhuys (Viadana), M Bortolami (Gloucester), J Sole (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), A Zanni (Benetton Treviso).

Replacements: F Ongaro (Saracens), M Aguero (Saracens), V Bernabo (Futuro Park Roma), P Derbyshire (Petrarca Padova), P Canavosio (Viadana), R Bocchino (Rovigo), K Robertson (Viadana).

England: D Armitage (London Irish); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), M Tait (Sale Sharks), R Flutey (Brive), U Monye (Harlequins); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), J Haskell (Stade Francais), L Moody (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath), M Mullan (Worcester), Louis Deacon (Leicester), S Armitage (London Irish), P Hodgson (London Irish)

Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)

Assistant referees: Romain Poite (Fra), Pascal Gauzere (Fra)
Television Match Official: Hugh Watkins (Wal)