England 'not A Million Miles Away' - Daly Calls For Perspective

By

BBC Sport rugby national news reporter

Full-back Elliot Daly insists England are not acold disconnected nan shape that delivered 12 consecutive victories, contempt nan dismal defeats by Scotland and Ireland that person sunk their Six Nations campaign.

Daly is 1 of 9 caller faces successful nan England starting line-up to play Italy successful Rome connected Saturday arsenic coach Steve Borthwick attempts to spark his broadside into life.

"It mightiness look a cardinal miles distant connected nan TV, but really you break it down and it's a fewer errors, a fewer penalties present and there, and not converting our opportunities," said Daly.

"We've been creating a batch of bully chances. For immoderate of them we person conscionable been a small spot excessively level and we've gone each other's way, that type of thing.

"We've had a look astatine it - it's not a monolithic thing. It's 1 of those things that will hole itself and we're looking to hole it."

England person made nan second-most entries into nan guidance 22m successful nan Six Nations, but only Saturday's opponents Italy person a poorer mean points return from those visits.

Daly points retired that guidance teams will inevitably bring their backmost 3 up into nan protect line, alternatively than person them bent deeper to screen a kick, erstwhile pinned backmost heavy into their ain territory, making advancement harder for nan attack.

But he believes England request to support their heads clear of 'white-line fever' and clasp their composure erstwhile adjacent to scoring.

"The measurement we person attacked to get successful location - it is astir apt conscionable having nan aforesaid mindset erstwhile we do get successful there," he added.

"The past 2 weeks we haven't converted those chances, but nan affirmative point is we are getting there, truthful we are not acold off.

"If we person a mates of them, we are going to beryllium successful these games."

Six Nations

Saturday 7 March astatine 16:40 GMT

Daly helped revive England's run successful past year's Six Nations. The 33-year-old was near retired of nan opening-round conclusion by Ireland, but came disconnected nan chair to people nan winning effort against France nan pursuing week, nan first triumph successful England's year-long streak.

His commencement to this play was delayed arsenic he recovered from room for a surgery limb sustained connected nan British and Irish Lions circuit of Australia, but he made his comeback successful nan autumn triumph complete Argentina and his playmaking ability, left-footed kicking and acquisition are highly weighted by Borthwick.

Daly's 74 England caps are 3 much than nan remainder of this weekend's starting backline person betwixt them.

He believes that nan position he has gained since making his England debut successful February 2016 helps erstwhile unit comes connected nan team.

"You astir apt don't opportunity it, but I deliberation you've been successful these situations where, I mean, we've only mislaid 2 games," said Daly.

"It's not nan extremity of nan world. It's games we wanted to win, obviously. But I deliberation it's important to understand that we've sewage a roadworthy to nan World Cup, we're not going to triumph each azygous game. We would emotion to, but we astir apt won't."

Meanwhile, erstwhile England helping Chris Ashton says while England's new-look backline whitethorn impressment connected insubstantial aliases successful training, nan strength of a Test lucifer tin propulsion isolated nan best-laid plans.

"I for illustration nan equilibrium to nan backline," Ashton told Rugby Union Weekly.

"It is akin to what England had erstwhile they won nan bid successful Argentina successful nan summer, pinch Seb Atkinson astatine wrong centre and Tom Roebuck connected nan wing. Both of them did really good and they person a bully synergy together.

"Elliot Daly brings acquisition astatine nan back, thing that is astir apt lacking from nan remainder of nan backline, and Cadan Murley, he has different aspects to his game, but he is conscionable velocity connected nan wing.

"They haven't played together though and that is simply a interest against a strong, assured Italy. You can't hole them for that.

"Lads who mightiness train a definite measurement mightiness not beryllium capable to transportation that into nan game, erstwhile pressure, fatigue aliases being successful a Test arena makes you deliberation and play otherwise compared to being successful training, pinch no-one astir and guidance not to nan aforesaid level."