Chris Ashton dives in to score his first try © Getty Images

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Match Pack: Ashton inspires Azzurri rout

Verdict: England are coming of age

Reaction: Johnson demands further improvement

Matches: England 59 - 13 Italy

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: England | Italy

England cut loose with a massive 59-13 win over Italy on Saturday to signal their Six Nations title credentials. Here's our view on how the protagonists matched up.

England

Ben Foden: Reliable in defence and provided a pacy avenue in attack when called upon, which was all to rarely. 7/10

Chris Ashton: Continued his emphatic scoring form with a record-breaking four tries. Will undoubtedly incur the wrath of manager Martin Johnson for the swallow dives that accompanied his first and fourth scores. 9

Mike Tindall: Put in a more dynamic and impressive display than last week's outing. Touching down for England's fourth try will go some way to silencing his critics. 7

Shontayne Hape: Always looked capable of punching through Italy's defence and enjoyed a far more productive outing than in round one. Played Ashton in for his second try. 7

Mark Cueto: Played a key role in England's attack and will be delighted to have ended his try drought with his first-half score. 7

Toby Flood: Another exemplary performance at fly-half. Played a part in England's first try and looked a threat throughout. Did not put a foot wrong with his kicking, scoring six from six. 9

Ben Youngs: Worked well in tandem with Flood and was the pace of his delivery has allowed his club team-mate more time and space in which to work. 8

Alex Corbisiero: Looked at home at Test level on debut, coming out on top in his battle against an experienced Italian front-row. 7

Dylan Hartley: Carried on where he left off last week with a solid performance at the heart of an inexperienced front-row and carried well in the loose. 7

Dan Cole: Enjoyed the scrum battle against a tough Italian pack and was far more visible in the loose than in previous outings. 7

Louis Deacon: Delivered a confident performance and was calm under pressure at the restart, also contributing to several lineout steals.

Tom Palmer: Another effective performance from the lock, who put in some towering tackles when needed an chipped in at the set-piece. 7

Tom Wood: Showed no sign of any nerves on his Twickenham debut and filled the void left by Tom Croft well for a second successive week. Did crucial work to disrupt the Italian lineout. 8

James Haskell: Was prominent with ball in hand and showed plenty of extra pace with a couple of breaks, one resulting in a try. Looks to be benefiting from England's open style. 8

Nick Easter: Another typically strong display from England's No.8, who handed the ball off to Tindall for his try .7

Replacements:

Simon Shaw: Provided steel and experience upon his introduction. 6

Matt Banahan: Looked sharp and laid on Ashton's third with a strong surge for the line. 7

Steve Thompson: Performed well in Hartley's place and continued the strong set-piece work. 6

Danny Care: Only took three minutes to touch down with his third Test try and looked lively. 7

Jonny Wilkinson: Remains second best behind the in-form Flood but delighted the home faithful with a few kicks and a crunching cover tackle. 7

David Wilson: Slotted into a game not suited to most front-rowers but did some work around the field. 6

Hendre Fourie: Looked at home after missing out last weekend, offers something different to Haskell and Wood. 6

Mirco Bergamasco fails to stop Mike Tindall from scoring © Getty Images

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Italy

Luke McLean: Looked to be carrying an injury in the second-half and did not get close to repeating his try-scoring feats against Ireland. 5

Andrea Masi: Spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows and was non-existent in attack. 5

Gonzalo Canale: England found too much space in midfield and were able to take advantage. Ruffled Ashton's feathers by taking exception to his first swan dive. 5

Alberto Sgarbi: Showed little of the gritty defence that earned praise against Ireland and was outplayed by the previously maligned Hape. 4

Mirco Bergamasco: You can never doubt his effort. Kicked two early penalties to keep Italy in touch and almost bagged an intercept try. 6

Luciano Orquera: Fly-half remains a problem area. Showed little devil with the ball he had and was shown up in defence. 4

Fabio Semenzato: Struggled to generate anything with difficult ball and was often cut adrift along with Orquera. 5

Salvatore Perugini: The scrum battle came to naught but Perugini did weigh in with some good work in defence. 5

Leonardo Ghiraldini: Not his best outing. England dominated at the lineout and the scrum was a non-event. 4

Martin Castrogiovanni: He may be the favourite at Leicester but he lost out in the battle against Dan Cole. Solid in the scrum but yellow carded early in the second-half. 5

Carlo del Fava: Failed to make a dent in the English pack and part of an Italian lineout taken to pieces by England. 4

Quintin Geldenhuys: Such a pillar of strength in recent months, was out of sorts and lost the physical battle. 5

Valerio Bernabo: Replaced the injured Josh Sole and endured a difficult afternoon, where the home back-row was consistently on the front-foot. 5

Alessandro Zanni: One of Italy's standout performers in the last 12 months, this was not his day. A couple of big carries will have given him heart but there was a lack of support all around. 6

Sergio Parisse: It's days like this that you feel particularly sorry for the great man. Tireless effort, no reward. 6

Replacements:

Fabio Ongaro: Replaced the misfiring Ghiraldini and scored Italy's try. Should be on for a start against Wales. 6

Andrea Lo Cicero: Had little to do but try and stem the tide, not a vintage outing for the experienced prop. 5

Santiago Dellape': Was introduced into a beaten pack but did provide some added grunt on a couple of occasions. 5

Robert Barbieri: Replaced the ineffective Bernabo but was unable to influence proceedings. 5

Pablo Canavosio: Introduced on the wing and saw precious little ball. 4

Kris Burton: A brief run in place of the injured McLean. N/A

Gonzalo Garcia: One of Italy's more potent backs, should be in line for a recall against Wales. 6