| Six Nations: England v Italy |
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| Venue: Twickenham, London Date: Saturday, 9 March Kick-off: 16:45 GMT |
| Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app, plus live text commentary online. |
England assistant coach John Mitchell says Maro Itoje and Jack Nowell “will be given every chance” to be fit for the Six Nations match with Italy.
Lock Itoje re-injured his knee in training on Tuesday, while wing Nowell is nursing a shoulder problem from the defeat by Wales last time out.
England will confirm their side for Saturday’s game on Thursday.
“Maro is a British Lion and is world class, so having his presence within the mix is always good,” said Mitchell.
“He took a little knock so we are giving him every chance to make the weekend, but when we do make the decision we certainly won’t put his health at risk.
“His energy is always good, he does have an influence on the game. He’s a huge competitor, but the locks in the game against Wales were outstanding. We are very fortunate to have four outstanding locks.”
Mitchell says Nowell is also “progressing nicely” but England will ensure he is “properly healthy before making that decision” over whether he plays against Italy.
Meanwhile, prop Ellis Genge says England’s fiery training session with Georgia last week was ideal preparation for the clash with Italy.
The England and Georgia forwards traded punches during a heated live scrummaging session, which Genge says helped “gel England as a scrum”.
“It was a good switch up and put us in good stead for anything we have to face,” he said. “I know a lot of the Italian boys well, so it will be a good contest.”
